ABSTRACT
Chance events are a privileged platform to observe and understand the relationship between structure and agency. When facing an unexpected and/or unlikely break in habits, routines and ways of thinking, a person is confronted with the sudden need to be reflexive, make choices and mobilise resources from her/his life contexts in order to cope with what happened and adjust to the new circumstances. The focus on events that go beyond a person’s control is even more interesting and challenging when we talk about young people, considering that at least up to a certain age and stage in life, they are very much dependent on their families and their actions are considerably framed by that context. In this chapter the discussion is based precisely on contingent occurrences that took place during youth that did not result from individual choices and had substantial effects on the course of their lives. The analysis of events such as the sudden death of someone close or an accident with significant (physical and emotional) consequences illustrates how young people balance their ability to act upon their circumstances with the structural and contextual constraints they face. This analysis is based on sociological research of biographical crises, in which 45 people were interviewed about disruptive occurrences and difficult phases in their lives, including those experienced during youth.
