ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the extent of the research that was completed after first outlining some of Norbert Elias's writings on the shock hypothesis. It presents the theoretical framework separately to reflect the division of labour that appears to have existed between Elias and the remainder of the research team. In 1980, Elias reflected on the individual civilising process, the socialisation of children and the changing relationship between children and their parents in his lecture The Civilizing of Parents. In this work, Elias suggested that despite a growing literature on childhood, the role of parents in helping children to enter a complex society, that demands a high degree of foresight and self-control, is not completely understood. In the Adjustment of Young Workers research, Elias wanted to examine how young people experienced the transition from school to work, not only how people learned to do a job, but also how the young workers acquired the prevalent adult standards or norms of behaviour.
