Life Transitions in America

Beschreibung

We celebrate, talk about, and worry a great deal about transitionsin life. Going to college, having a first child, losing a job, andretiring constitute just a few of the pivotal moments in the livesof many. Sociologists and psychologists have devoted considerableattention to life transitions. Yet we know very little aboutwhether there exists a common thread to our understandings of lifetransitions in general. How do journalists, leading politicians,sport icons, bestselling authors, government agencies, Hallmarkcards, popular TV shows, and other "voices" of popularculture talk about transitions in life? Do these voices provide acoherent picture of how we make sense of life transitions? In this book, Francesco Duina shows how the dominant Americandiscourse articulates two basic approaches to transitions in life.The first approach depicts transitions as exciting, individualisticopportunities for new beginnings: the past is cast aside, thefuture is wide open, and the self has the opportunity to recreateitself anew. The second paints transitions as having to do withcontinuity, our connections to others, and the life-cycle, with anemphasis on acceptance and adaptation. Though contrasting, the twoapproaches ultimately complement each other. Their analysis revealsa great deal about American culture and society, and will be ofgreat interest to students of the life course and the sociology ofculture.

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Francesco Duina

Themen in »Life Transitions in America«

Kultursoziologie Psychologie Psychology Social Identity Social Psychology Sociology Sociology of Culture Soziale Identität Sozialpsychologie Soziologie

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''Sociological insight comes from personal circumstance. Duina is at once Italian and American, and neither completely. In trying to understand himself he has given us a great book on the nature of American culture--rigorous, empirically driven and able to explain the extraordinary capacity of Americans to reinvent themselves.'' John A. Hall, McGill University ''Life Transitions in America is a thoughtful, beautifully written and carefully researched treatment of eight major transitions from adolescence through the end of life. Each transition is treated in a separate chapter in which Duina combines sociological and psychological research, his own theoretical framing, and expert opinion to understand how American culture sees this change. The result is a pleasure to read, thought provoking, and ultimately satisfying.'' Linda Waite, University of Chicago ''This is an exciting project, part of a larger return in sociology to telling big stories about individuals and society. This sorely needed book asks weighty questions about why and how we focus on, define, and respond to major life transitions. Duina analyzes a rich range of data sources, from popular culture to surveys, to better understand the social shaping of life's milestones.'' Kelly Joyce, Drexel University
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