Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers important insights with regard to the timing of occupational influence on the person. Throughout the modern era, scholars have shown a continuing concern with the extent to which position in the occupational structure affects psychological development. The book examines whether work experiences and age interact such that the effects of occupational conditions on the person change in different phases of the life cycle. It shows that part-time work is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon, extending across class groups. The book reviews the special problems of workers who are in raid-career or later phases of the worklife. It examines the interrelations of work experience and psychological development throughout the career, from late adolescence to pre-retirement age, presenting insights, conceptual frameworks, and findings from a variety of social science perspectives.