Work and the Teen-Ager

Abstract

Adult and adolescent differences in attitude toward work partly result from age-grade differences charac teristic of all cultures, but they are accentuated and prolonged by adult edict. Although teen-agers recognize the values of work, they are forbidden to enter the adult labor market and, in the absence of creative alternatives, are compelled to go to school even when school is wholly nonfunctional to them. Entrance into the adult work world is, thus, made difficult. Even when the teen-ager does enter it, he is discriminated against. The change from school to work often results in culture shock in the neophyte. This could be mitigated by suitable pre-employment socialization in which responsibility as well as mechanical skills would be recognized. It is conceivable that, as industrialization changes the nature of work and automation reduces the quantity required, adult culture will be organized around leisure rather than around work. In this sense, teen-age culture, with its emphasis on fun, may be a functional prototype of future adult culture.