ABSTRACT
This chapter explores learning and the most important differences between learning in childhood, youth and adulthood. It focuses on identity development today and in particular on the relation between identity and education in youth. Learning will always include three integrated dimensions, which may be termed cognitive, emotional and social-societal. Through the cognitive dimension, knowledge, skills, understandings and, ultimately, meaning and functionality are developed. The results of learning are stored in the central nervous system as dispositions that can be described as schemes or mental patterns. There are considerable differences between the nature of learning in different phases of life. Life-span theory usually distinguishes between the four main phases in the human life course: childhood, youth, adulthood and mature adulthood. This means that they operate with a youth phase that is usually understood as a transition between childhood and adulthood.
