Young People, Social Scene and Popular Culture

Teenagers and young adults experience physical and psychological changes as a part of ordinary growth and development. In addition, they take their meaning and identity from relating positively and negatively to different groups, including school, family, interest and peer groups. This used to be seen as a linear development, with the teenager gradually going through the stages of maturity and letting go of the family in exchange for a new family and so on. Post-modern times (Connor 1989) suggest two things. First, there have been many social changes, including greater mobility and increasing breakdown of traditional social patterns, such as the nuclear family. Second, there has been an increase in ethical, social and cultural pluralism. This has led to questioning of the meta-narratives that seemed to give direction to social and moral meaning up to the middle of the twentieth century. For the developing child, this sets up a potentially confusing set of expectations and experiences. The issue of acceptable alcohol consumption emerges for the young person in such a social context, requiring both clear social frameworks for practice and the development of mature moral reflection that begin to handle the many different social messages.