ABSTRACT
In the preceding chapters an attempt was made to understand the lives of adolescents in terms of J.C.Coleman’s focal theory of adolescent development. According to this theory adolescents reach maturity by addressing a variety of challenges including gender identity, peers and parental authority. Each of these ‘focal concerns’ is tackled and resolved in sequence, although the patterning of the actions necessary is recognised as being variable among adolescents. Next a link was made with adolescent leisure transitions. Thus, issues concerning sexual identity are experienced at a time of interest in organised leisure, concerns over peer relationships are played out in the domain of casual leisure and finally parental authority is confronted around the time that commercial leisure interests come to the fore. The resulting matrix of relationships, interests and domains may well imply a diversity of ways of life for adolescents at different stages of development. If this is the case, can such ways of life be identified with distinctive adolescent lifestyles?
