How Do the Young Become Adults?

This paper examines the current and changing roles of the school, family and workplace in the development of young people into adults. Due to changes in these institutions, young people are shielded from responsibility, held in a dependent status, and kept away from productive work-all of which makes their transition into adulthood a difficult and troublesome process. The paper suggests that the young need to be provided with a variety of skills so they can more easily and effectively make the transition to adulthood. The role of the school should be to provide only intellectual skills, while other skills may be more effectively learned through active participation in the occupational institutions of society. (Author)