Is there a particular perspective which assists our understanding of the concept of ‘youth’?
In this essay I will be focusing on the understanding of ‘youth’ and seeing if sociological perspectives can help with the concept. The reason I am using the sociological perspective is because youth is much harder to define when using a biological or psychological perspective, compared to adolescence. I will also be researching the idea of youth as an identity and whether young people themselves have taken this term as their own, or if society have forced it upon them in order to keep them under control until adulthood.
The main reason young people are defined is because, in the case of youth workers, they have to be aware of who they are working with and researching. Since a lot of people believe adolescence begins around the age of eleven, where they are able to think their own way and maturely reason with themselves to solve a problem. Youth on the other hand has not got an exact meaning like adolescence does.
The word ‘youth’ became a popular phrase around 1850 and over time people began to realise that while children and young people were different, there still needed to be similar rules and legislations for both groups. As a result of this school was elongated and young people were able to continue on higher and young people could partake in more leisure times rather than working each day.
However, it does not mean ‘youth’ is a universal category (Bradford 2012). Depending on where a young person is from, their gender, race or financial background for example. Comparing two very different people and analyzing their own youth, they will share some aspects in which are similar, however for the majority of the analysis this will not be the case. This is unlike puberty, which is linked with adolescence, for the majority of people they start puberty around the same age, and the same effects happen to them; hair grows, acne and sweat to name a few.
Recently, sociologists have described the current time to have certain traits and has become a sub-period of modernity itself. This has been described by Bauman (2007) as liquid modernity which combines things such as anxiety and fear with have definite impacts on youth. Bauman believes there are five areas which have serious implications for youth. Unemployment is one of these five areas, as this can cause young people to fear about their own sustainability and fear about the future.
A lot of young people’s fear comes from the uncertainty of life, because when they are in the category of ‘youth’ they are not seen as children, but not as adults meaning they have a new place in the world which is not as clear as a child’s of adult’s.
As said previously, this was not always the case, before the nineteenth century childhood seemed to evolve into an early adulthood from the age of eleven, this was because children began working and had more responsibility in the home (Gillis 1974). Although, as time has gone on, the time period for ‘youth’ has changed.
In the current day it can be perceived that ‘youth’ continues until the early twenties as more young people are continuing in education until then, this means that there is a delay of getting a full-time job, getting married and having a family which are three aspects in life that people see as reaching adulthood.
Some people do not see ‘youth’ as another period in someone’s life, they see it as more of an ‘emerging adulthood’ which shows the personalities of young people compared to adults and the similarities between them. However, it is unclear whether this is a personal belief for people or societies view on young people.
Pierre Bordieu believes that ‘youth’ is just a concept that has no definite period of time, he relates to a statement in which he explains that youth cannot be defined as we do not know when people are classed as old. He also explains that in many societies there are fights about youth and age. Bordieu describes this as a question and division of power between adults and youth.
This fight for power is also a fight for identity, and young people are always struggling to find their identity and their place in society, and since the relationship young people have with society has changed, it means they are asking more questions about themselves and where they fit in. This shows that ‘youth’ is not seen as a definite identity, more of a temporary identity until they are able to find themselves
White and Wyn (2013) describe identity as a social process which is shaped and created through relationships with other people. Which means, that as life changed in a young person’s eyes, their identity changes alongside. This, in many people’s opinions is why ‘youth’ has stuck, it is a stable identity that young people can hold onto and feel safe with, rather than asking questions about who they are and what they are supposed to do.
Some may argue that identity is not created during the changes in life, but rather by the person themselves and only seen when needed. With this idea, it would mean that the term ‘youth’ is that identity and is only there when young people are at the focus of others. However, it also shows that the idea of unity and togetherness is not part of someone’s identity as they are able to do several different tasks depending on where they are and when it is, which for some they may not be able to.
This argument states that there is not just one identity but that people have multiple identities as they lead more than one life, and these identities can be addictive which is why people are so focused on class, race, gender and sexuality. Without these as focus points they are unable to create multiple identities in their lives.
When looking at the laws in England and Wales, and seeing what young people are able to do when reaching a certain age, it is clear to see what society deems as being almost adult-like. Between the ages of ten and fifteen, there are nine rights and responsibilities young people can partake in; these include buying pets, riding horses and owning air rifles. However, between the ages of sixteen to twenty-one, there are twenty-five rights and responsibilities that they can now do and partake in which include, having sexual intercourse, buying cigarettes and alcohol, joining the army, getting married and driving. Many of these are seen as adult-like things to do, and it definitely shows that society believes young people stop being defined as young people and youth at around the age of sixteen to eighteen.
With these rights and regulations in place, it is almost as if ‘youth’ is a transition period with this almost being the initiation and welcoming into adulthood. This is more evidence of this fight for power as young people need to be accepted, by law, to do certain things, which in societies eyes is seen as becoming an adult.
Overall, it is clear to see that youth is a concept created by society, whether it was created to elongate their innocence or as a way of having more power over them is unclear. Youth is a complicated and fearful time in one’s life. This idea of identity seems to be a main focus for them, and the uncertainty that life has brings anxieties to the forefront of a young person’s life. This is especially true as they get older and closer to being an adult, as they have more responsibilities and rules to follow so they attempt to fight back, which causes the fight for power to occur.
Admittedly, it seems that ‘youth’ is more of a phrase used to describe young people rather than an identity forged by young people, but as stated previously, young people seem to hang onto this phrase in order to feel part of society and have more certainty in their lives.
References:
Bordieu, P. (1993) Sociology in Question. London: Sage.
Bradford, S. (2012) Sociology, Youth & Youth Work Practice. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Cieslik, S. and Simpson, D. (2013) Key Concepts in Youth Studies. London: Sage.
McLeod, S. (2010) Formal Operational Stage. Available at: http://www.simplypsychology.org/formal-operational.html (Accessed: October 25th)
Mizen, P. (2004) The Changing State of Youth. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan
White, R. and Wyn, J. (2013) Youth and Society. 3rd edn. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.