Abstract

Philip Lalander: Productivism, hedonism and acting. Drinking patterns and identity formation in contemporary youth cultures

Based on ethnographic studies of different youth groups, the article introduces three characters which relate to society, to themselves and to alcohol in different ways. The first character is “the modern conscientious “conformist”, who believes firmly in leading a conscientious way of life in which wage labour plays an important part and in which drinking is marginalized vis-à-vis the world of work. The second character is “the rebellious hedonist”. This character is highly sceptical of society's demands for conformity and conscientiousness. The third character, “the postmodern expert of style” exhibits strong individual self-control. This self-control is based on fears of appearing to others as a conformist. It is therefore difficult to adopt the same drinking patterns as other people, and drinking consequently becomes a way of establishing feelings of individuality.