Schooling in the Course of Human Lives: The Social Context of Education and the Transition to Adulthood in Industrial Society

1993 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. Pallas

This review examines the role of schooling in the life course of individuals, focusing on the timing and sequencing of schooling in the transition to adulthood. First, I examine conceptual issues in the study of schooling and the life course, drawing heavily on the sociological literature. I then consider the timing and sequencing of schooling in the transition to adulthood in the United States, and the consequences of variations in the timing and sequencing of schooling for adult social and economic success. I then discuss the role of social structure, norms, and institutional arrangements in the transition to adulthood, with special attention to cross-national comparisons with the U. S. and historical changes within countries. I conclude with speculations regarding trends in the role of schooling in the life course, and some directions for future research on this topic.

1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian De Vries ◽  
Rose Dalla Lana ◽  
Vilma T. Falck

This article reviews the literature on parental bereavement over the family life course drawing attention to the meaning of the loss. The conceptual framework for this article arises from the intersection of Klass and Marwit's [1] theory of parental bereavement and the theory of family development as proposed by Aldous [2] and others. The review of the literature is organized according to a series of factors, proposed by Rando [3] and others, thought to influence the parental grief experience: the untimeliness of the death; the nature and quality of the lost relationship; the role the deceased played; the characteristics of the death; and, the social support system. The role of a family developmental perspective in the understanding of parental bereavement and the recognition of the issues involved in the losses at different family stages is discussed in relation to each factor and strategies for future research are offered.


1986 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pat M. Keith

A model of singleness in later life was developed to show how the social context may influence the personal and social resources of older, unmarried persons. The unmarried (especially the divorced) will be an increasing proportion of the aged population in the future, and they will require more services than will the married. Role transitions of the unmarried over the life course, finances, health, and social relationships of older singles are discussed with implications for practice and future research.


Author(s):  
Allison DiBianca Fasoli

In this chapter, the author integrates dominant approaches to moral development in order to outline the significance of conversations for moral development and socialization. Across socialization, narrative, constructivist, and language socialization approaches, research on conversations has advanced our understanding of the development of moral conscience, moral selves, moral concepts, and moral language practices, respectively. While the majority of these research endeavors has focused on social interactions, a move to the investigation of conversations promises to advance our understanding not only of the social bases of moral development, but also its social processes. The author concludes by suggesting avenues for future research that examine moral conversations across the life course, between various social partners, and in relation to cultural beliefs. Such research will help to reveal the unique affordances of conversations in the process of moral development.


1988 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-305
Author(s):  
Dennis P. Hogan ◽  
Takashi Mochizuki

Three features of early life course of Americans and Europeans during the twentieth century are of note: (1) the increased age-grading of transitions; (2) the closer spacing of different transitions, and (3) the more extensive overlap between economic and family transitions. Historical changes in the structure of individual life histories have been interpreted alternatively, as a consequence of industrialization and urbanization, or as the result of rising levels of the family and personal incomes available for consumption and investment in human capital skills. In this article we bring additional evidence to bear on this debate by comparing historical changes in the early life transitions of men and women in Japan and the United States. Trends in the transition to adulthood systematically relate to the structure of schools and labor markets in the two nations, drawing attention to the various life course implications of the institutional forms under which industrial societies may organize.


2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margie E. Lachman ◽  
Salom Teshale ◽  
Stefan Agrigoroaei

We provide evidence for multidirectionality, variability, and plasticity in the nature and direction of change in physical health, cognitive functioning, and well-being during the middle years of the life course. The picture of well-being in midlife based on longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study is a more positive one than portrayed in previous cross-sectional studies. We present middle age as a pivotal period in the life course in terms of balancing growth and decline, linking earlier and later periods of life, and bridging younger and older generations. We highlight the role of protective factors and multisystem resilience in mitigating declines. Those in middle age play a central role in the lives of those who are younger and older at home, in the workplace, and in society at large. Thus, a focus on promoting health and well-being in middle age can have a far-reaching impact.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orian Brook ◽  
Dave O'Brien ◽  
Mark Taylor

Unpaid or ‘free’ labour is an important element of how precarity has been theorized. It is also an issue that is often seen as endemic to cultural and creative work, rightly attracting a range of criticism. Questions as to the role of unpaid work, for example internships, have become central to understanding the social exclusiveness of many cultural and creative jobs. This paper develops this existing analysis by comparing and contrasting the meaning of 'free' work over the life course of a range of creative occupations, historicising the impact of unpaid labour on the creative sector and showing how it has been stratified by social class, age and career stage. The paper uses two datasets drawn from the Panic! What happened to social mobility in the arts? project, to outline the differing experiences of unpaid labour in cultural and creative occupations. By demonstrating the stratification of unpaid work as a form of precariousness in cultural jobs, along with the social distribution of benign narratives of unpaid work, the paper aims to offer new empirical evidence for those seeking to resist precarious forms of labour.


Author(s):  
Natalie Slopen ◽  
Celena Meyer ◽  
David R. Williams

Stressors have adverse effects on physical and mental health across the life span, and the accumulation of stressors is particularly damaging. Sociologists argue that the failure of prior research to account for a broad range of social stressors has underestimated the contributions of stress exposure to health behaviors and health status and to socioeconomic and racial/ethnic health inequities. The Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study provides an unparalleled opportunity for studying the health consequences of stressor accumulation. The topic of cumulative stress is introduced, and challenges in operationalizing this construct are described. Examples of studies from MIDUS are highlighted that have considered multiple social stressors simultaneously, the interaction between daily and chronic stressors, genetic contributions to the effects of stressor on health, and accumulation of stressors at multiple points in the life course. Drawing on principles and models from life course epidemiology and developmental science, future research directions are discussed.


Author(s):  
Abigail A. Fagan ◽  
Kristen M. Benedini

This chapter reviews the degree to which empirical evidence demonstrates that families influence youth delinquency. Because they are most likely to be emphasized in life-course theories, this chapter focuses on parenting practices such as parental warmth and involvement, supervision and discipline of children, and child maltreatment. It also summarizes literature examining the role of children's exposure to parental violence, family criminality, and young (teenage) parents in affecting delinquency. Because life-course theories are ideally tested using longitudinal data, which allow examination of, in this case, the impact of parenting practices on children's subsequent behaviors, this chapter focuses on evidence generated from prospective studies conducted in the United States and other countries. It also discusses findings from experimental studies designed to reduce youth substance use and delinquency by improving the family environment.


Author(s):  
Juliann Emmons Allison ◽  
Srinivas Parinandi

This chapter examines the development and politics of US energy policy, with an emphasis on three themes: the distribution of authority to regulate energy between national (or federal) and subnational governments, the relationship between energy and environmental policy and regulation, and the role of climate action in energy politics. It reviews patterns of energy production and consumption; provides an overview of national energy politics; and reviews literatures on federalism and energy politics and policy, the increasing integration of energy and environmental policies, and the politics of energy and climate action. The chapter concludes with a discussion of a future research agenda that underscores the significance of political polarization, subnational governance, and technological innovation for understanding US energy policy.


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