ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book deals with what happened to the young workers' aspect of the research, due to the constraints of space; the follow up interviews will be used as the basis for a separate monograph in the future. It reflects on how the respondents' social class and gender as well as their families, their homes and households were viewed by the interviewers. The book presents a critical account of Norbert Elias's shock hypothesis and his thoughts on school to work transitions. It examines the origins of the Adjustment of Young Workers to Work Situations and Adult Roles project and set it within the institutional context of the Leicester Sociology Department of the 1960s. The book provides an overview of the roles of those working on the project, both those on the project steering committee and the research officers who undertook the fieldwork.
