ABSTRACT
Case Vignette 199 Historical Context 200 Key Concepts 202 Trajectories and Transitions 202 Historical Time and Place 202 Agency 203 Timing of Lives 203 Linked or Interdependent Lives 204 Mechanisms that Link Changing Times and Individual Lives 205 New Directions 207 The Consequences of Political Turmoil 207 The Role of Linked Lives 207 The Accumulation of Advantage or Disadvantage 208 Turning Points 208 The Impact of Social Policies on Individuals and Cohorts 208 A Research Example: Work and Family Trade-Offs in Three Cohorts 209 An Application: Life Course Theory and Trajectories of Criminal Behavior 211 How Does Life Course Theory Answer the Basic Questions That a Theory of Human Development Is Expected to Address? 213 Critique of Life Course Theory 216 Strengths 216 Weaknesses 217 Critical Thinking Questions and Exercises 219 Key Terms 219 Recommended Resources 219 References 220
CASE VIGNETTE
Jeff was an average to below average high school student from a loving family. His mother was a real estate agent; his father was a railroad engineer. He grew up in an upper middle-class community where most of his friends were college bound. A boy with little ambition, and no obvious talent in math or science, he graduated from high school in 1989 and joined the Navy. After basic training, he was assigned to a destroyer, and served in the Persian Gulf War. This was a time when the Navy was accelerating its investment in land attack missiles. Suddenly, Jeff found himself in a position of adventure and excitement. This was an historically successful military operation in which the Navy played a central role. In 2009, Jeff retired from the military with 20 years of service. He opened his own security company, providing bodyguards and security for events including technology conventions, rock concerts, and festivals. Jeff made use of his military training, his experience with combat conditions, and his love of adventure to create a successful business.
