ABSTRACT
Socialization within the family involves the induction of members into new roles. Most often, this socialization has been studied in terms of the beliefs and norms taught by parents to offspring, referred to as "forward" socialization. To date, much of the concern with forward socialization has focused on role transitions that are expectable and orderly in terms of the timetable of life (Neugarten & Hagestad, 1976), such as entry into anticipated, on-time marriage or advent of the parental role. There has been little recognition of the extent to which this forward socialization is important, not just during childhood and early adolescence, but across the adult years as well. With parents living into very old age, it is fairly common for the elderly to teach their middle-aged children about retirement, the physical decline that occurs in the later years, and, ultimately, ways of confronting death itself.
