You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
We now return via a detour to some of the sociological aspects of adolescence. The sociopolitical conditions in America in our times have not been such as to encourage the youth to the adoption of programmatic, concrete activity, or to conscious and continuous participation in social events. Their individualistic agitation tended rather to stem from an internal situation on the part of each one, which has become externalized; one way of achieving this has been by way of identification with the underprivileged. The so-called “affluent society” has provided neither the occasion for nor the real focus of attack of the revolutionary ideology of the young. Instead, it has actually supported their wishes by enlarging the scope of their personal freedom, supporting their education, etc.
In previous generations, and especially in European countries, “isms” used to arouse and direct the revolutionary spirit of the younger generation. There are no such inspiring “isms” in our society today and, as a consequence, the majority of contemporary youth in the United States have remained politically aloof. Their strivings and ambitions have therefore had an orientation that is much more personal than social. All adolescent groups share the core attitude of rebellion and of the search for a refuge from anxiety. Their emphasis lies in such feelings as: “Alone I am lost; together we