ABSTRACT

Neither in the sociology of youth nor in the psychology of adolescence has the topic “adolescents and their families” yet gained a prominent place. In the first part of this chapter I argue that the neglect of this topic is due to the history of science, specifically, traditional theoretical concepts of youth and of adolescence. In the second part I demonstrate that a new perspective in the study of the relations between adolescents and their families is emerging. I propose that the emergence of this new perspective is based on changes both in social structure and in internal family relations.