This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Thomson, R. Articles by Sharpe, S. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Critical Moments: Choice, Chance and Opportunity in Young People's Narratives of Transition

South Bank University thomson{at}sbu.ac.uk

Robert Bell

South Bank University

Janet Holland

South Bank University

Sheila Henderson

South Bank University

Sheena McGrellis

South Bank University

Sue Sharpe

South Bank University

The `Inventing Adulthoods' study seeks to document transitions to adulthood reported by over 100 young people living in five contrasting communities in the UK over a five-year period. A principal aim of the study is to identify `critical moments' in young people's biographies and to explore how these moments are implicated in processes of social inclusion and exclusion. This article reports on an analysis of the first of three rounds of one-to-one interviews. We begin by mapping young people's critical moments, exploring the relationship between the social and geographical location in which they live and the kinds of events that they report as having particular biographical significance. We suggest that the character of these `critical moments' is socially structured, as are young people's responses to them. The argument is illustrated by case studies that show the interaction of choice, chance and opportunity in three young people's lives.

Key Words: biography • `reflexive project of self' • risk • social exclusion • youth

Sociology, Vol. 36, No. 2, 335-354 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/0038038502036002006


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. McGrath School disengagement and 'structural options' Narrative illustrations on an analytical approach Young, February 1, 2009; 17(1): 81 - 101. [Abstract] [PDF]

				D. Simpson and M. Cieslik Basic skills and transitions to adulthood Young, November 1, 2007; 15(4): 395 - 412. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Munford and J. Sanders Borders, margins and bridges: Possibilities for change for marginalized young women Community Dev. J., July 1, 2007; 42(3): 317 - 329. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. O'Connor `Doing boy/girl' and global/local elements in 10--12 year olds' drawings and written texts Qualitative Research, May 1, 2007; 7(2): 229 - 247. [Abstract] [PDF]

				T. Torstenson-Ed Children's Life Paths Through Preschool and School: Letting youths talk about their own childhood - theoretical and methodological conclusions Childhood, February 1, 2007; 14(1): 47 - 66. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Wilson, S. Cunningham-Burley, A. Bancroft, K. Backett-Milburn, and H. Masters Young people, biographical narratives and the life grid: young people's accounts of parental substance use Qualitative Research, February 1, 2007; 7(1): 135 - 151. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. Stauber Motivation in transition Young, February 1, 2007; 15(1): 31 - 47. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Brooks Young Graduates and Lifelong Learning: The Impact of Institutional Stratification Sociology, December 1, 2006; 40(6): 1019 - 1037. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. Webster, R. MacDonald, and M. Simpson Predicting Criminality? Risk Factors, Neighbourhood Influence and Desistance Youth Justice, April 1, 2006; 6(1): 7 - 22. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. J. Mcmillan and M. Morrison Coming of age with the internet: A qualitative exploration of how the internet has become an integral part of young people's lives New Media Society, February 1, 2006; 8(1): 73 - 95. [Abstract] [PDF]

				P. O'Connor Young People's Constructions of the Self: Late Modern Elements and Gender Differences Sociology, February 1, 2006; 40(1): 107 - 124. [Abstract] [PDF]

				V. Hey The Contrasting Social Logics of Socialit and Survival: Cultures of Classed Be/Longing in Late Modernity Sociology, December 1, 2005; 39(5): 855 - 872. [Abstract] [PDF]

				T. Tolonen Locality and gendered capital of working-class youth Young, November 1, 2005; 13(4): 343 - 361. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Henderson Sticks and smoke: Growing up with a sense of the city in the English countryside Young, November 1, 2005; 13(4): 363 - 379. [Abstract] [PDF]