Routes to Adulthood

Robert J. Havinghurst, University of Chicago

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Abstract

Adolescents use various routes to progress into adulthood. From the adult point of view, some of these routes are acceptable while others are not. Although most youth make a successful transition into adulthood, others cling to their peer groups and defy the adult society which awaits them. The author defines five subgroups of adolescents--maintainers and conformers, the entrepreneurs, the uncommitted, the half socialized, and the unsocialized--and discusses the kinds of leaders and programs that are most successful in working with these five groups of youth.