1. Socio-cultural Tracks of Development, Opportunity Situations and Access Skills.
- Author
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Hundeide, Karsten
- Subjects
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DEVELOPMENTAL psychobiology , *LIFESTYLES , *DECISION making , *DEVELOPMENTAL biology , *ABILITY , *HUMAN behavior - Abstract
In this paper I am trying to present a view whereby development is seen as cultural and transpersonal `tracks of development' within which individuals have to find their direction. Three different approaches to the analysis of life-tracks are indicated. There are crucial decision points in a person's development, and a person's decision-making process at these points is analyzed from the point of view of his or her perception of his or her `opportunity situation'—what are the alternatives that are psychologically plausible and available for him or her? (Hundeide, 2003b). This raises the question of positioning and acquiring the critical access skills that give entrance to different life-careers. A major point in this paper is that skills and competencies are contextually contained within what I have described as `lifestyle packages'. Certain identity- and style-markings may be important access skills or criteria for getting entrance into certain communities, which again invite and direct the novice into certain life-tracks—which may be more or less irreversible. This point is further explored with regard to creating a basis for understanding the attraction of new Nazi movements to marginalized unsuccessful youngsters, with regard to life careers in a slum community, and with regard to intervention, in the sense of how marginalized youngsters in a situation of school failure, unemployment and delinquency can be `untracked' into more positive life-tracks or careers. The conditions for development and personal change are briefly discussed at the end of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2005
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