Klaus Hurrelmann

This book provides an overview of investigations into the interrela­ tions between stressful living conditions, individual coping strategies, and social support networks, on the one hand, and physiological, psychological, and social "health", on the other. Health is used as a broad term, and is defined as a state of physical and mental well­ being by which an individual is capable of processing inner and outer reality in a productive and satisfying manner. The potential stresses and strains inherent in the lifestyles of children, adolescents, and adults in contemporary industrial societies are the prime concern of this book. I try to offer a comprehensive view which takes modern socialization theory as its starting point. Chapter 1 introduces the subject and discusses the psychological and social "costs" that accompany life within modern industrial soci­ ety. Chapter 2 reviews research on types and distribution of social, psychological, and somatic disorders. Chapter 3 explores the risk fac­ tors and constellations of stressful life events, role conflicts, and tran­ sitions and focuses on the changes in types of demand or strains throughout the life span. Chapter 4 contains an analysis of the per­ sonal and social "resources" that can be mobilized if stress occurs.

Unsere Gesellschaft verordnet Jugendlichen "Warteschleifen": Landebahnen und Anschlußverbindungen sind überfüllt, Zeitpunkt und Ort der Landung im "Erwachsenenleben" ungewiß, zur Beruhigung werden Bildungscocktails und Unterhaltungsmagazine gereicht...

At the end of the 20th century, many of the major health problems facing highly industrialized nations stem from advanced technology, a richer diet, and lengthened life span. The scope of public health has greatly expanded. While health hazards to the public have increased, the strategies available to remedy them have grown commensurably. Public health has borrowed and adapted knowledge from the biological, medical, behavioral, and social sciences, and has been quick to recognize the potential of new fields such as the management sciences for safeguarding the health of the community. Through chapters written by expert contributors, this reference provides a synopsis of the state of the development of public health in twenty countries around the world. These countries vary considerably in national policies for organizing health services. Some are heavily industrialized, such as Germany and the United States, while others, such as Tanzania and Thailand, are less developed. Each chapter is devoted to a particular country, with chapters discussing similar issues in order to foster comparisons. Chapters discuss the overall status of public health from practice to research and teaching, and take into account the resulting health effects and the quality and efficiency of the delivery systems. Chapters include extensive references, and an appendix lists organizations in each country.

This reference summarizes and overviews current research on adolescence in 31 countries from around the world. The volume begins with a discussion of interdisciplinary and international perspectives on adolescence, with special attention to psychological and sociological approaches. Each of the chapters that follow considers adolescence in a particular country, and the chapters are arranged alphabetically for ease of use. To foster comparative research, each chapter shares a common format, with sections on the historical and sociodemographic background of adolescence since 1945, sociocultural patterns of rites of passage, psychological and social problem behaviors, and policy matters. Each chapter concludes with a list of current references, and the volume ends with a selected bibliography and an appendix of key researchers.

Socialisation is here understood as the process of the emergence, formation and development of personality in dependence on and interaction with the human organism on the one hand and the social and material environment on the other hand. In this thoughtful book, Klaus Hurrelmann analyses the concepts of human development underlying the different sociological and psychological theories of personality development that he presents and compares. He then proposes his own concept of socialisation: the individual as a productive processor of internal and external reality. He goes on to discuss the organised societal contexts of socialisation (such as schools) and the family and other informal settings; and to review research on the relation between living conditions, risk factors in stress, psychosocial disorders and strategies for prevention and intervention. A wide readership will welcome this comprehensive view of the relationship between social structure and personality.

Socialisation is here understood as the process of the emergence, formation and development of personality in dependence on and interaction with the human organism on the one hand and the social and material environment on the other hand. In this thoughtful book, Klaus Hurrelmann analyses the concepts of human development underlying the different sociological and psychological theories of personality development that he presents and compares. He then proposes his own concept of socialisation: the individual as a productive processor of internal and external reality. He goes on to discuss the organised societal contexts of socialisation (such as schools) and the family and other informal settings; and to review research on the relation between living conditions, risk factors in stress, psychosocial disorders and strategies for prevention and intervention. A wide readership will welcome this comprehensive view of the relationship between social structure and personality.