ABSTRACT
German unification in 1991, and subsequent ongoing sociopolitical transformations, have provided unique opportunities for research on human development. Several research programs on children and adolescents in post-unification Germany have already reported results (for an overview see Hormuth et al., 1996). They share an interest in aspects of human development which seem to be particularly relevant for success under the new social and political conditions of life. Presumably it is fair to say that a basic distinction between the two former countries was the role people attributed to the state, as compared to the role they attributed to themselves. Until recently it was still true that one third in the West, but two thirds in the East held the belief that the government, rather than the citizens themselves should be responsible for welfare, particularly concerning issues such as employment, housing, or retirement (Zapf, 1996).
