ABSTRACT
Youth has been commonly seen as a time of preparation for a place in society as well as in the labour market. This is to be achieved by physical and psychological development, socialization, the development of the self, education, vocational qualifi cations and the acquisition of life experiences; all these developments are to take place in the period roughly defi ned as ‘youth’, which should appear as a linear process. At its end one is supposed to assume a more or less secure professional career, partnership, family, and all this without any breaks. Youth has been seen as congruent with phases of transition. However, in society today-the ‘risk society’ or ‘liquid society’—the processes of transition for young people are no longer linear but de-standardized, precarious and also dependent on the young individuals’ own decisions. We call this situation ‘yo-yo-ization of transitions between youth and adulthood’.
