ABSTRACT
Youth, that long curving transition from childhood to adulthood, is a phase of life that frequently tests and challenges social convention. The new forms of behavior that emerge from youth pushing against the mature generation's preference for the familiar can result in the establishment of new practices and cultural understandings. Feeling little stake in the status quo of the adult world, and with access to sources of power new in their young lives, youth often play the role of shock troops for the latest new social or political movement, taking little for granted (Moore and Rizor 2008). The experimental propensities of the young, seen against the conservative objections of the older generations, reveal facets of cultural systems—their basic values and assumptions—that are often otherwise invisible. The efforts of youth to test and redefine conventional morality give a glimpse into the social landscapes of the future. This is especially so among wealthier societies whereby the transformation from adolescents into adulthood is being redefined less by the fulfilling of specific roles and related duties and more by the quality of personal development. This expanded definition of youth is resulting in a new emergent stage of youth (Arnett 2004). It is the period in which individuals are encouraged to explore personal, social, and economic opportunities, if for no other reason than a more thorough understanding of themselves and the economic options available to them. In this context, individuals need “more time to develop the emotional maturity, cognitive skills, and social intelligence to navigate the challenges if uneasy transitions, fluid careers, and changing families” (Arnett 2004, 15).
