Forthcoming Titles in the Adolescence and Society series, edited by John Coleman
Wired Youth
The Social World of Adolescence in the Information Age
- By Gustavo S. Mesch, Ilan Talmud
The debate on the social impact of information and communication technologies is particularly important for the study of adolescent life, because in their close association with friends and peers, adolescents develop life expectations, school aspirations, world views, and behaviors. Wired Youth investigates the driving forces of social interaction, such as shared interests and adolescents’ need of diversification of their social circle, and shows how online activities are closely associated with offline social behavior.
This book presents an up-to-date review of the literature on youth sociability, relationship formation, and online communication, examining the way young people use the internet to construct or maintain their inter-personal relationships. Using a social network perspective, the book systematically explores the various effects of internet access and use on adolescents’ involvement in social, leisure and extracurricular activities, evaluating the arguments that suggest the internet is displacing other forms of social ties. The core of the book investigates the motivations for online relationship formation and the use of online communication for relationship maintenance. The final part of the book focuses on the consequences, both positive and negative, of the use of online communication, such as increased social capital and online bullying.
Wired Youth is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students of adolescent psychology, youth studies, media studies and the psychology and sociology of interpersonal relationships.
Published March 4th 2010 by Routledge.
more information about Wired Youth / pre-order online
Family Life in Adolescence
- By Patricia Noller, Sharon Atkin
Stereotypes of adolescents in Western culture can be very negative, yet a small group tends to give them all a bad name. This book, based on the extensive research conducted over the last 20 years, describes how the family environment is the key to whether adolescents thrive, or get involved in problem behaviours.
The authors examine which aspects of family life provide the best environment for the growth and development of young people. Topics covered include the development of individual identity and the importance of communication in the family, looking at how this affects the ways in which adolescents learn about dealing with conflict, solving problems and making decisions. A further focus is on the importance of a warm and accepting family environment, which also requires responsible behaviour from young people. The book also deals with the problems that are faced by adolescents whose parents divorce or those who live in stepfamilies, and explores the antecedents and consequences of adolescent problem behaviours such as binge-drinking, drug-taking, smoking and premature sexual activity, and mental health issues such as depression, suicide and eating disorders. Finally, the authors focus on current patterns of leaving home and deal with issues such as running away and youth homelessness.
This book will be of help to parents and to any who work with adolescents such as teachers, social workers, youth leaders, clergy, psychologists and psychiatrists. Readers should gain a greater understanding of the kinds of family environments that produce the most productive and well-adjusted young people who can make a worthwhile contribution to the society in which they live.
Published April 1st 2010 by Routledge.
more information about Family Life in Adolescence / pre-order online
Illegal Leisure Revisited
Changing Patterns of Alcohol and Drug Use in Adolescents and Young Adults
- By Judith Aldridge, Fiona Measham, Howard Parker, Lisa Williams
Illegal Leisure Revisited updates the progress into adulthood of the cohort of 14 year olds that were recruited and tracked until they were 18 years old for Illegal Leisure (1998). Illegal Leisure described their adolescent journeys and lifestyles, focusing on their early regular drinking and extensive ‘recreational’ drug use. These ‘children of the nineties’ took unprecedented levels of amphetamines, LSD, ecstasy and particularly cannabis. Via qualitative interviews and self-report surveys, the book recalls the group at twenty-two and twenty seven years of age, and describes the relationship between their transitions to adulthood and the changing role and use of various legal and illegal drugs including alcohol and cocaine.
The research shows twentysomethings learning how to navigate between work and play and negotiate their rights and responsibilities with partners as much as parents. It presents to the reader the ways in which these young people have moved into the world of work, long-term relationships and parenthood, illustrating the changes in the function and frequency of their drinking and drug-use patterns.
Illegal Leisure Revisited places these journeys amongst the ever changing backdrop of a consumption-oriented leisure society, the rapid expansion of the British night-time economy and the place of substance use in contemporary social worlds. With dire public health warnings about their favourite intoxicants and with the growing criminalisation of a widening array of drugs used for recreational purposes, our cohort continue as archetypal citizens in a risk society.
The book is ideal reading for international academic researchers, and undergraduate students from a variety of fields such as developmental and social psychology, sociology, criminology, cultural and health studies. Professionals working in criminal justice, health promotion, drugs education, harm reduction and treatment will also find this book an invaluable resource.
Published August 31st 2010 by Routledge.
more information about Illegal Leisure Revisited / pre-order online
The Nature of Adolescence
- By JOHN COLEMAN
Published September 1st 2010 by Routledge.
more information about The Nature of Adolescence / pre-order online
Adolescent Parenthood
A Guide to Best Practice and Resarch
- By Judy Corolyn, Catherine Dennison
Adolscent Parenthood is a key source book for students and professionals working in the field of teenage parenthood. Highly experienced contributors present up-to-date research findings and examples of best practice on a number of important topics, including:
* routes to pregnancy
* education and employment for young mothers
* young fatherhood
* young mothers in public care
* the experience of young parents from ethnic minority group,
* and support of young parents
Published January 1st 2011 by Routledge.
more information about Adolescent Parenthood / pre-order online