Message on the theme of youth in the modern world. The role of youth in modern society: development conditions, interests and hobbies

Young people are a special social and age group, distinguished by age limits and their status in society: the transition from childhood and adolescence to social responsibility. Some scholars understand youth as a set of young people whom society provides an opportunity to social development providing them with benefits, but limiting their ability to actively participate in certain areas of social life. The age limits that allow people to be classified as young people differ depending on the specific country. As a rule, the lowest age limit of youth is 14-16 years old, the highest one is 25-35 years old. Youth today Russian Federation- this is 39.6 million young citizens - 27% of the total population of the country. In accordance with the Strategy of the State Youth Policy in the Russian Federation, approved by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 18, 2006 N 1760-r, the category of youth in Russia previously included citizens from 14 to 30 years old. However, recently in most subjects of the Russian Federation there has been a tendency to shift the age limit for young people under 35 years old. Today, sociologists and economists have come to the unanimous opinion that the core of the modern socio-economic development of Russian society lies in the fact that the initial and final instance of social wealth and progress is the level of general cultural and professional competence accumulated by generations, creative, entrepreneurial and civic activity and responsibility of young people. For social development It is of great importance for Russia that Russian youth is the bearer of a huge intellectual potential, special abilities for creativity (increased sensuality, perception, imagery of thinking, enhanced imagination, desire for fantasy, looseness, sharp memory, mind play, etc.). At a young age, a person is most capable of creative activity, to the formulation of heuristic hypotheses, is as efficient as possible. Therefore, progress is largely associated with youth. modern science. Youth is open to learning, and in its highest form, which is the mastery of the most complex methods of intellectual activity in various fields of science and technology; intellectual labor, in the process of which the acquired skills and abilities, developed abilities receive not only implementation, but also further development - they are creatively improved. Age today is a scientific and technical category. Young people perform special social functions that no one else can perform. Firstly, young people inherit the achieved level of development of society and the state and already today form an image of the future in themselves, carry out the function of social reproduction, the continuity of the development of society. Secondly, like any social group, young people have their own goals and interests, which do not always fully coincide with the goals and interests of the whole society. Thirdly, due to objective reasons, young people are distinguished by the lack of formation of value, spiritual and moral guidelines and lack of life experience, which increases the likelihood of an erroneous choice when making responsible decisions. On the other hand, entering into working and social life, young people are the main object and subject of education, socialization, upbringing and adaptation. Fourthly, on the one hand, youth is the main participant in social mobility and economic initiative, on the other hand, it is characterized by incomplete inclusion in existing socio-economic and political relations. Fifthly, youth is a social stratum of society, which, on the one hand, is a source of socio-economic and spiritual revival of Russia, and on the other, a source of replenishment of crime, drug addiction, and social tension.

2 Seyssel C. de. La Monarchie de France. P., 1961. P. 113.

4 See: KeohaneN. Philosophy and State in France. Princeton, 1980. P. 11.

5 See: Church W. Constitutional thought in Sixteenth Century France. Cambridge 1941; Franklin J. Constitutionalism in the sixteenth century: Protestant Monarchom-achs // Political Theory and Social Change. N.Y., 1967; Reynolds B. Proponents of limited Monarchy in sixteenth century France // Studies in history, economics and politic law. L., 1931. No. 334. P. 6, 16, 18.

6 L "HospitalM. de. Harangue du Chancilier M. de L"Hospital sur le budget du XVI siècle dans l"assemblee des Estats Generaux. P., 1829. P. 6.

7 Pasquier E. Les Recherches de la France. P., 1643. P. 65.

8 Pasquier E. Les letters: in 82 vol. P., 1619. Vol. I-II. P. 525.

10 Pasquier E. Les Recherches de la France. P. 182.

11 Pasquier E. Les letters. P. 82.

12 Pasquier E. Le Pourparler du Prince // Pasquier E. Les Recherches de la France. P. 353.

transformation of the role of youth in modern society

E. V. Saiganova

Saratov State University Email: [email protected]

the article discusses the characteristics of youth as a specific socio-demographic group, the role of youth as an object and subject of social transformations in the context of the actualization of a targeted state youth policy.

Keywords Keywords: youth, society, social structure of society, state youth policy.

Transformation of the Role of Youth in Contemporary Society

^e article discusses the features of youth as a specific socio-demographic groups, the role of youth as both object and subject of social transformation in the rush of targeted state youth policy. Key words: youth, society, social structure of society, state youth policy.

In modern society, the young generation plays a significant role in the socio-demographic, economic, political and cultural aspects of life. “Modern society must open youth as an object of history, as an exceptionally important factor of change, as a bearer of new ideas and programs, as a social value of a special kind. Without a fundamental rethinking of the role of youth

13 Cm.: Pasquier E. Les letters.

14 Hotman F. Francogallia. Cambridge, 1972. P. 1000.

15 Ibid. P. 816.

16 Ibid. P. 154.

17 Ibid. P. 466.

18 Ibid. P. 459.

19 Ibid. P. 154.

20 Cm.: Hotman F. De jure successionis regiae in regno Francorum. S.L., 1588.

21 Ibid. P. 342.

22 Du droit des magistrarts sur ses sujets. S.L., 1575. P. 234.

23 Du puissance legitime du prince sur le peuple et le peuple sur le prince. S.l., 1581. P. 236.

24 Ibid. P. 234.

25 Ibid. P. 394.

26 Ibid. P. 228.

27 Ibid. P. 184.

28 Boucher J. De justa Henrici tertii abdicatione et francorum regno libri quattuor. Parisius, 1589. P. 12.

in social processes, without a revolution in consciousness about its phenomenon, humanity will not be able to quickly break through to new heights of civilization”1.

Without delving into the history of the emergence of the term "youth", we note that its appearance was due to the scientific and technological revolution, the complication of production processes, as well as the need to allocate a certain period of a person's life for learning and was defined as a transitional stage - "youth".

It must be understood that it is rather difficult to give a clear definition of the concept of "youth", it all depends on the scientific approach to this category. The simplest of them is the use of age characteristics as the main parameter characterizing young people as a certain socio-demographic group. There is a widespread approach that considers youth as a specific community that is in the process of transition from the social role of a child to the world of adults and is going through an important stage of family and extra-family socialization and adaptation, internationalization of norms and values, creation of social and professional expectations, roles and status2.

© Saiganova E. V., 2015

In the modern sense, young people are defined as a social community that occupies a certain place in the social structure of society and acquires a social status in various social structures (social-class, professional-labor, socio-political, etc.), having common problems, social needs and interests, life features, etc.3

There are many different opinions, points of view and arguments regarding the features of the “youth” phenomenon, especially when it comes to age limits. The issue of age periodization of youth is still debatable, because this is not just a subject of theoretical scientific dispute. Practical significance This issue for governments in each country is due, in particular, to the need for accurate calculations of the population to which “youth benefits”, allowances, loans, etc. apply. Age limits also determine the scale of programs and plans for supporting and developing youth, monetary and material and technical means for the implementation of youth policy. The wider the gap between the lower and upper limits, the large quantity young citizens is in the field of view of state policy, i.e. the more expensive youth is for the country.

The problem of determining the age limits of young people is not only not simplified, but, on the contrary, even becomes more complicated. This is due to the fact that, on the one hand, the acceleration process significantly accelerated the physical and, in particular, puberty of children and adolescents, which is traditionally considered the lower limit of youth. On the other hand, the complication of labor and socio-political activities in which a person takes part, the stabilization of family and household status necessitates the continuation of social required time preparation for life. The criteria for social maturity have also become more complex.

In particular, the upper limit of the youth age, with all the conventions, implies exactly the age at which a young person becomes economically independent, able to create material and spiritual values, to continue the human race4.

However, the beginning of an independent working life, the completion of education and the acquisition of a stable profession, the acquisition of political and civil rights, material independence from parents, marriage and the birth of the first child - all these events, which together give a person a sense of adulthood and an appropriate social status, do not come simultaneously. And their very sequence and the symbolic meaning of each of them are not the same in different social strata, in different countries.

Traditionally, it was believed that the boundaries of youth age - from 16 to 30 years. Modern researchers prove: adopted in the 1960-1970s. the boundaries of the concept of "young" no longer reflect the real social processes taking place in society, and should be expanded to 35 years.

Age, psychophysical qualities of youth largely determine the similarity of young generations of different times. But still, young generations of different eras are formed under the influence of relevant socio-economic, cultural, historical and other factors5.

Modern social transformations reflect the objective need to consider young people as an integral part of the social system, which plays a special role in the process of human development. Participation younger generation in the social construction of reality is carried out with the help of the most important functions: reproducing, translational, innovative, integration, socialization functions.

The function of socialization means that young people in their social development are included in society, its social structure, that is, they are socialized.

The reproducing function involves the constant reproduction of material goods, labor force and production relations.

The youth also performs a translational function, i.e., assimilates, transmits, disseminates the knowledge, achievements and experience of previous generations, contributing to social progress. Wherein important function youth is a broadcast from the past to the future of cultural and historical heritage of all mankind in the conditions of natural development of the social system.

In order to go further than their predecessors, young people must be ready to reproduce, develop not just material, but also spiritual wealth, the culture of their nation, people. At the same time, young people transform this experience, introduce new features into it that did not exist before, but arose in the changed socio-economic, political, socio-cultural conditions, i.e. they perform an innovative function. It depends on the level of social development of youth as a product of society itself whether it will be simple or expanded reproduction, which, in turn, depends to a decisive extent on society's views on youth. It is these differences among young people (primarily positive) that are the key to the progressive development of mankind.

Thus, the role and importance of youth in society are determined by the following objective circumstances:

Scientific department

Youth is a large socio-demographic group (in some countries it is up to half of the total population), which occupies a significant place in production and is the main source of replenishment of labor resources;

Youth is the main carrier of the intellectual and physical potential of society, has great abilities for work, creativity, productive activity in all spheres of human life;

Young people have a great social and professional perspective, they are faster than others social groups society to acquire new knowledge, professions and specialties;

Youth is not just a subject - the heir of the material and spiritual wealth of society, but also the creator of new, more progressive and democratic social relations;

Young people are objectively receptive to innovations, master the basics of knowledge and, stepping over much outdated and already unnecessary layers, do it at an objectively high level, unlike the older generations, which, of course, opens up space for the progressive development of society as a whole.

All this together, on the one hand, distinguishes young people from other age and social groups of society, and on the other hand, allows them to objectively occupy a rather peculiar place in all spheres of society.

The assessment of the role of young people in the process of generational change should be carried out taking into account: the general sociological law of change and continuity of generations in society; social differentiation of youth; a historical approach to the analysis of the problems of youth and the youth movement; awareness of youth as an object of social impact and a subject of social activity. Society and the state are obliged to take this into account and, based on such patterns, formulate and implement a youth policy6.

Considering that youth, as an organic part of society, is an open social system, which is included in a variety of relationships and interactions that exist in society, the issue of youth as a subject and object of social relations is fundamental when considering its role.

Peculiarities current situation youth lies in the fact that it acts, first of all, as a subject of social production and public life, which is at the same time in the process of its formation. Entering into life, a young person is the object of the influence of social conditions, se-

myi, educational institutions, and later, in the process of growing up and moving into more mature phases of development, it begins to significantly influence society itself. In other words, youth acts as a subject when it influences society, giving up its potential, at the same time it is an object, since social influence is directed at it for the purpose of its development.

The peculiarity of youth as a social group lies in the fact that it is constantly in a state of transition from the property of being an object of social influence to the predominant property of being the subject of socially transformative activity. This is the social meaning of the “growing up” of young people. When young people reach the age when they begin to fully own the totality and level of social ties and relations inherent in a given society, it means that they have become an all-powerful subject and object of social movement.

Thus, the essence of youth and the manifestation of its main social quality is the measure of its achievement of social subjectivity, the degree of assimilation of social relations and innovative activity.

Modern youth is in a specific historical situation, when the process of socialization does not take place on the basis of inherited material and spiritual values, but, on the contrary, requires the active participation of the youth themselves in the development of these values, and independently, often in a collision with the motivational values ​​of older generations. Youth enters life in the conditions of functioning of already existing in society social institutions and structures that do not always correspond to its interests and needs. Naturally, in the process of socialization, young people face serious problems, since they do not have an adequate level of education, professional skills, or the social experience that the older generation has.

The tension between the young person and society makes possible the conflict between the individual and the existing social system. Given that for the inner world young man ambivalence is inherent, i.e. duality, inconsistency of feelings and emotions, this ambivalence can equally consistently lead to various forms behavior, expressed both in social innovations and in social protest, deviations.

It should be noted that socio-economic transformations, development civil society in the Russian Federation significantly influenced the course of the social formation of young citizens. Russian society on present stage turned out to be completely unprepared to comprehend the essence

Sociology

Izv. Sarat. university New ser. Ser. Sociology. Political science. 2015. Vol. 15, no. 1

ongoing transformations, has not developed a mechanism for soft coordination of the interests of young people with other groups of society, has not created a system of socialization of young people that would proceed from an adequate ratio between the educational impact of older generations and real youth self-government. Under these conditions, there is a need to develop completely new mechanisms for ensuring relationships between society and new generations.

Now we should talk about rethinking the role of youth in the historical process and processes national development, about overcoming the consumer attitude towards it on the part of society and its social institutions7.

Previously, the process of youth socialization was interpreted in a simplified way - as a one-sided assimilation of the experience, ideas, orientations of the older generation and society as a whole, it was believed that young people are only capable of reproducing existing social relations, and not of creativity and innovation. However, socialization is a two-way process and the result of counter activity of the subject and object of the social environment. Based on this, it is necessary to change the paternalistic policy of the state towards young people, which is possible under the following conditions: the rejection of obsolete stereotypes and ideological clichés of the past, the transition from a predominantly directive-command system of political leadership of youth to a democratic youth policy. Such relationships involve "feedback" and control "from below",

taking into account the pluralism of interests, positions and opinions among the youth8. The state already today must develop a realistic, balanced, balanced policy for the development of youth as a social force, create appropriate conditions and guarantees for its life self-determination and self-realization, which ultimately should help overcome the contradictions between the interests of the state and the younger generation.

Notes

1 Konstantinovsky D. L. [and others]. Education and life trajectories of youth: 1998-2008. M. : Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 2011. P. 6.

2 See: ChuprovV. I., Zubok Yu. A. Sociology of youth: textbook. M. : Norma, INFRA-M, 2013. P. 11.

3 See: GorshkovM. K., Sheregi F. E. Youth of Russia: a sociological portrait. M. : TsSPiM, 2010. S. 17.

4 See: PereverzevM. P., Kalinina ZN Economic foundations of work with youth: textbook. allowance. M. : INFRA-M, 2010. S. 192.

5 See: Konstantinovsky D. L. [and others]. Decree. op. S. 79.

6 See: LupandinV. N. Sociology of youth: textbook. allowance. Eagle: Orlov Publishing House. state tech. un-ta, 2011. S. 31.

7 See: Khaydarov R. R., Ovchinina T. B. Sociology of youth and youth policy: textbook. allowance. Kazan: Kazan Publishing House. state tech. un-ta, 2009. S. 54.

8 See: Khovrin A.Yu. State youth policy: synthesis of paternalism and social partnership // Social and humanitarian knowledge. 2007. No. 1. P. 134.

udk 316.334.22

problems of hired labor in the perspective of the welfare state development

A. V. Tavadova

Moscow State University. m. Lomonosov E-mail: [email protected]

This article describes a phenomenon called "superfluous people". This situation characterizes the state of modern wage labor and, at the same time, is an area that forms the field of action for the welfare state as an institution designed to smooth out the dysfunctional consequences of a free economy.

Key words: welfare state, hired labor, unemployment, forms of employment, social protection.

The Problems of Wage Labor in the Modern Welfare state

The article considers a phenomenon known as the "superfluous men". This situation characterizes the state of today's employees and at the

same time is a sphere, forming a field of action for the welfare state as an institution designed to smooth disfunctional consequences of a free economy.

Key words: welfare state, wage labor, unemployment, forms of employment, social security.

The value of the sphere labor relations it is difficult to overestimate both for society as a whole and for its individual representatives. The division of social labor is the basis of that type of social solidarity, which the classic of sociological thought E. Durkheim called organic1. Employment also serves as a source stable income to maintain the quality of life of the worker

© Tavadova A.V., 2015

Theme of the lesson: "Youth in modern society." (slide 1,2)

Goals and objectives of the lesson: characterize youth as a separate social group; reveal the main features of adolescence, establish social roles performed by young people; to identify the social functions and features of the social position of young people in modern society; to determine the main features, the reasons for the existence of modern youth subculture; to teach students to independently identify the problems of modern youth; continue to develop analytical skills social problems, compare opinions on social issues, draw conclusions, rationally solve cognitive and problematic tasks, reveal the most important theoretical positions and concepts of the social sciences and humanities with examples; practical application of the knowledge gained in the lesson in Everyday life.
Lesson type: lesson of new knowledge.

Equipment: L.N. Bogolyubov "Social Science": a textbook for grade 11. - M. "Enlightenment", 2014, §18; collage "What is it like today's youth?"; slide presentation "Youth in modern society"; presentations of students "Youth subculture", "15 facts about modern youth"; laptop, projector, screen.

During the classes

Organizing time.

Teacher's word: Good afternoon guys, dear colleagues. I am glad to welcome all of you to the lesson of social studies.

We continue to consider Chapter 2. "Social sphere".

Teacher's word: Today in class we: (slide 3)

Students read aloud:

Let us characterize the youth as a separate social group;

We will reveal the main features of adolescence, establish the social roles performed by young people;

We will reveal the social functions and features of the social position of young people in modern society;

Let's define the main features, the reasons for the existence of the modern youth subculture;

We will learn to independently identify the problems of modern youth;

We will continue to develop the ability to analyze social problems, compare opinions on social issues, draw conclusions, rationally solve cognitive and problematic tasks, reveal the most important theoretical positions and concepts of the social sciences and humanities using examples;

We apply the knowledge gained in the lesson in everyday life and in practical activities.

II . Actualization and motivation of knowledge.

Teacher's word: And for this we turn our attention to the basic concepts and categories of the social sphere.

Questions for discussion (slide 4):

1. Define the concepts of "social stratification", "social group", "social status".

2. List the grounds (criteria) for social stratification.

3. What social groups exist in modern society? What social groups do you belong to?

4. What does the concept of "social mobility" mean, what are its types?

Discussion of questions by students.

Teacher's word: Well done guys, now listen carefully to the following statement.

The word of the teacher (slide 5).... Speaking before the meeting of the Medical Society of Dortmund (1979), Dr. Ronald Gibson began his report with four quotations that belonged to a philosopher, poet, politician and priest.

Philosopher:“They (young people) today adore luxury, they have bad manners and no respect for authority, they express disrespect for elders, loitering around and constantly gossiping. They argue with their parents all the time, they constantly interfere in conversations and attract attention to themselves, they greedily swallow food and harass teachers ... "

Poet:“I have lost all hope for the future of our country if today's youth take the reins of government tomorrow. This youth is unbearable, unrestrained, just awful.”

Politician:“Our youth is corrupted to the core, it will never be like the youth of the past. The younger generation of today will not be able to preserve our culture.”

Priest:“Our world has reached a critical stage. Children no longer listen to their parents. Apparently, the end of the world is not far off.”

Teacher's word: Do you agree with this characterization of today's youth?

Teacher's word: The paradox is that the first statement belongs to the philosopher Socrates, who lived in 470-399. BC e. The second - to the first known ancient Greek poet Hesiod, who lived in the VIII-VII centuries. BC e. The third was found in a clay pot, kept for 3000 years in the ruins of Babylon. The last - to the Egyptian priest. The papyrus scroll with this inscription is about 4000 years old. It is also curious that all these great civilizations perished.

How are young people doing today? How do people around her treat her? Some representatives of the older generation believe that a significant part of today's youth does not live, but resides, does not work, but earns extra money, does not work, but pretends to. Is it so? Let's try to deal with this problem in today's lesson.

Teacher's word: I propose to consider the following lesson plan (slide 6):

Plan.

1. Youth as a social group.
2. Youth is the renewing force of society.
3. Youth subculture.
4. Is it easy to be young? Problems of modern youth.

III . Learning new material.

1. Youth as a social group.

“Take a position” (What do you think? slide 7):

How are young people different from other social groups?

Who is included in the youth category?

The word of the teacher (slide 8).

The youth- a large socio-demographic group, distinguished on the basis of age characteristics, characteristics of social status, socio-psychological properties, which are determined by the system, culture, patterns of socialization, education of a given society. Age limits of youth from 14-16 to 25-30 years.

The boundaries of youth are individual for everyone. There are circumstances in life that make a person grow up earlier. And there are adults who have physical and mental traits that are characteristic childhood- infantilism. Therefore, very often they say young "old people" or "eternal" youth. But, anyway, the conclusion can be drawn as follows:

YOUTH is a feeling that necessarily manifests itself both in appearance and in human behavior.

Teacher's word: Let's turn to statistics (slide 9).

Of the total world population of 7.584 billion people. the young population is 1.8 billion people. There have never been so many young people on Earth! Along with young people, the demand for education and jobs is growing.

Almost 90% of all young people live in the developing world - Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.

In Afghanistan, Nigeria, Chad and Uganda, 50% of the population is under 18!

The share of young people in the developed world continues to decline.

Teacher's word: What social roles do young people play? (slide 10)

- Features of the social status (slide 11), write in a notebook.

2. Youth is the renewing force of society.

Youth is the engine of progress, that the future is behind the youth. Is it so? What is today's youth? What can older generations learn from her? How has the age of new technologies and the entertainment industry changed the youth?

Presentation of the work "15 facts about modern youth". (slide 12)

Teacher's word: Are there sufficient grounds to assert that youth is the renewing force of society?

YES, because...

NO because...

Teacher's word: Based on the existing ideas and the knowledge gained, let's fill in the collage "What is it like today's youth?" (slide 13)

3. Youth subculture. (slide 14)

Teacher's word: Separate social groups are characterized by special features of consciousness, behavior, and lifestyle. They create their own cultural niche - a subculture. The youth was no exception - they also created their own culture. Youth subculture is a phenomenon characteristic of the industrial and post-industrial stages of development of any type of culture. It performs the functions of socialization of young people, solves the problems of generational conflict and obeys the unified laws of development.

Presentation of the message: "Youth subculture". (slide 14)

Teacher's word: What motivates young people to create a subculture?

4. Is it easy to be young? Problems of modern youth. (slide 15)

Teacher's word: And now we will try to deal with the rhetorical question “Is it easy to be young?” What are the challenges faced by today's youth? How does she try to solve them, how does she live, why is she sick, what does she think about?

Presentation of results (video clip);

Sociological survey (slide 16)

- "10 sentences" homework (by time).

IV . Fixing the material.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION (slide 17):

2. How do the social roles of a person change in young years?

3. What does the concept of " youth subculture"? Why is it necessary to have such cultures?

4. What problems do today's youth face in their lives?

V . Summing up the lesson.

1. Answer in one sentence: "What does it mean to be young"? (slide 18)

2. "House of life" (slide 19)

Teacher's word: Each age has its own mission, its tasks, goals, values. Each of us builds his own house of life. If we imagine our life as a house, then what should be youth - a foundation, a roof, walls?

Youth is the foundation, and what kind of "bricks" you lay, what kind of "cement" you use, will be your "House of Life". And it will depend only on you what you will get by old age: a shack, a good house or a palace?

VI . Reflection. (slide 20, 21)

1. Young people are heterogeneous, have different goals and value orientations.

The main feature of the social position of young people is its transitivity. Young people master new social roles: worker, student, citizen, family man, and the like. They are looking for their place in life, often changing their field of activity.

2. Youth is one of the hidden resources that any society has and on which its viability depends. The survival and rate of progress of each country is determined by how significant, how developed this resource is, how much it is mobilized, how fully it is used.

3. Youth is the renewing force of society. This is the sociological function of youth.

4. There are many problems in the life of modern young people that require attention and resolution.

5. Young people are characterized by a creative attitude to the surrounding reality, the desire to change the world, to live in a new way, a tendency to unite in informal groups.

6. It is impossible to unequivocally judge today's youth.

7. The problem of youth has been relevant at all times.

VI І . Homework. (slide 22)

Textbook paragraph 18, p. 194-204.

Write an essay: “Earn from youth, and live in old age!”

Word of the teacher: Thank you very much for the lesson, all the best and bright to you!

YOUTH is a socio-demographic group identified on the basis of age parameters, social status and socio-psychological qualities.

One of the first definitions of the term "youth" was given in 1968 by V.T. Lisovsky:

"Youth is a generation of people passing through the stage of socialization, assimilating, and at a more mature age already assimilating, educational, professional, cultural and other social functions; depending on specific historical conditions, the age criteria for youth can range from 16 to 30 years."

Later, a more complete definition was given by I.S. Konom:

"Youth is a socio-demographic group identified on the basis of a combination of age characteristics, characteristics of social status and socio-psychological properties due to both. Youth as a certain phase, stage of the life cycle is biologically universal, but its specific age limits, the associated social status and socio-psychological characteristics are of a socio-historical nature and depend on the social system, culture and the laws of socialization characteristic of a given society.

In developmental psychology, youth is characterized as a period of formation of a stable system of values, the formation of self-awareness and the social status of an individual.

The consciousness of a young person has a special susceptibility, the ability to process and assimilate a huge flow of information. During this period, develop: critical thinking, the desire to give their own assessment of various phenomena, the search for argumentation, original thinking. At the same time, at this age, some attitudes and stereotypes characteristic of the previous generation are still preserved. Hence, in the behavior of young people, there is an amazing combination of contradictory qualities and traits: the desire for identification and isolation, conformism and negativism, imitation and denial of generally accepted norms, the desire for communication and withdrawal, detachment from the outside world.

Youth consciousness is determined by a number of objective circumstances.

First, in modern conditions the process of socialization itself became more complicated and lengthened, and, accordingly, the criteria for its social maturity became different. They are determined not only by joining an independent working life but also the completion of education, obtaining a profession, real political and civil rights, material independence from parents.

Secondly, the formation of the social maturity of young people occurs under the influence of many relatively independent factors: family, school, workforce, means mass media, youth organizations and spontaneous groups.

The boundaries of youth age are mobile. They depend on the socio-economic development of society, the level of well-being and culture achieved, and the living conditions of people. The impact of these factors is really manifested in the life expectancy of people, expanding the boundaries of youth age from 14 to 30 years.

Since ancient times, the formation of society has been accompanied by the process of socialization of new generations. One of the main problems of the socialization of young people is that they either accept the values ​​of their fathers or completely reject them. The second happens more often.

Young people believe that the social values ​​that the "fathers" lived by lose their practical significance in any new historical situation and, therefore, are not inherited by children.

Today, the main task of the survival of the Belarusian society is to solve the problem of maintaining social stability and transferring cultural heritage from one generation to another. This process has never been automatic. He always assumed the active participation in it of all generations.

It must be remembered that it is at a young age that a system of value orientations is formed, the process of self-education, self-creation of the individual and affirmation in society is actively underway.

In today's rapidly changing, dynamically developing world, young people have to decide for themselves what is more valuable - enrichment by any means or the acquisition of high qualifications that help them adapt to new conditions; denial of previous moral norms or flexibility, adaptability to the new reality; unlimited freedom of interpersonal relationships or family.

The value system is the foundation of a person's relationship to the world.

Values ​​are a relatively stable, socially conditioned attitude of a person to the totality of material and spiritual goods, cultural phenomena that serve as a means of satisfying the needs of the individual.

The core values ​​include:

1. Humanity;

2. Good manners;

3. Education;

4. Tolerance;

5. Kindness;

6. Honesty;

7. Diligence;

8. Love;

In the post-Soviet period, young people have acquired a number of new qualities, both positive and negative.

The positives include:

1. The desire for self-organization and self-government;

2. Interest in political events in the country and region;

3. Indifference to the problems of the national language and culture;

4. Participation in organizing your leisure time;

5. Focus on self-education;

Negative qualities such as:

1. Tobacco smoking, drug testing and adolescent alcoholism;

2. Doing nothing;

3. Sexual experimentation;

4. Infantilism and indifference (nihilism);

5. Uncertainty and unpredictability;

There are several important socio-cultural conditions for successful personal socialization:

1. Healthy family microenvironment;

2. Favorable creative atmosphere at school, lyceum, gymnasium;

3. Positive impact fiction and arts;

4. Media influence;

5. Aestheticization of the nearest macro environment (yard, neighborhood, club, sports ground, etc.)

6. Active involvement in social activities;

Social adaptation is a controlled process. It can be managed not only in line with the impact of social institutions on a person in the course of his production, non-production, pre-production, post-production life, but also in line with self-government.

IN general view most often, four stages of adaptation of a person in a new social environment are distinguished:

1. the initial stage, when an individual or group realizes how they should behave in a new social environment for them, but are not yet ready to recognize and accept the value system of the new environment and strive to adhere to the old value system;

2. the stage of tolerance, when the individual, the group and the new environment show mutual tolerance for each other's value systems and patterns of behavior;

3. accommodation, i.e. recognition and acceptance by the individual of the basic elements of the value system of the new environment while simultaneously recognizing some of the values ​​of the individual, the group of the new social environment;

4. assimilation, i.e. complete coincidence of the value systems of the individual, group and environment;

Complete social adaptation of a person includes physiological, managerial, economic, pedagogical, psychological and professional adaptation.

Specific points of social adaptation technology:

Only a person tends to create special "devices", certain social institutions, norms, traditions, facilitating the process of his adaptation in a given social environment;

Only a person has the ability to consciously prepare the younger generation for the process of adaptation, using all means of education for this;

The process of "acceptance" or "rejection" by individuals of existing social relations depends both on social belonging, worldview, and on the direction of education;

A person consciously acts as a subject of social adaptation, changing his views, attitudes, value orientations under the influence of circumstances;

Social adaptation is the process of active development of the social environment by the personality, in which the personality acts both as an object and as a subject of adaptation, and the social environment is both an adapting and adaptable side.

Successful social adaptation of the individual requires the maximum expenditure of the spiritual energy of the individual.

Youth is the path to the future that a person chooses. The choice of the future, its planning is characteristic young age; he would not be so attractive if a person knew in advance what would happen to him tomorrow, in a month, in a year.

General conclusion: "Each subsequent generation of young people is worse than the previous one in terms of the main indicators of social status and development." This is expressed, first of all, in the tendency to reduce the number of young people, which leads to the aging of society and, consequently, a decrease in the role of youth as a social resource in general.

The demographic situation is complicated by a new reality in Belarus - the growth of murders and suicides, including among young people. The reason is the emergence of complex personal and life situations. According to the data, 10% of graduates of state institutions for orphans commit suicide, not being able to adapt to living conditions.

First, the unresolved socio-economic and everyday problems.

Secondly, in the trend of deterioration in the health of children and adolescents. The rising generation is less healthy physically and mentally than the previous one. On average, in Belarus, only 10% of school graduates can consider themselves absolutely healthy, 45–50% of them have serious morphofunctional deviations.

Recently, there has been a clear increase in the number of diseases among students, such as:

1. mental disorders;

2. peptic ulcer of the gastrointestinal tract;

3. alcohol and drug addiction;

4. venereal diseases;

Some young people, due to an unbalanced diet and reduced physical activity, gain excess weight, spend little time outdoors, and are not involved in sports and recreational activities.

Thirdly, in the tendency to expand the process of desocialization, the marginalization of young people. The number of young people leading an asocial, immoral lifestyle is increasing. For various reasons and to varying degrees, they include: disabled people, alcoholics, vagrants, "professional beggars", persons serving sentences in corrective labor institutions who strive to be socially useful citizens, but due to social conditions cannot become them. There is a lumpenization and criminalization of youth. ¾ of the young people who study consider themselves to be low-income.

Fourthly, in the trend of decreasing opportunities for youth participation in economic development. Statistics show that the share of young people in the unemployed remains high. The labor market is characterized by a significant overflow of labor from the state to the non-state sector of the economy.

Moving to the sphere for positions that do not require professional knowledge, young people risk their future well-being, not ensuring the accumulation of intellectual property - professionalism. Moreover, this area of ​​employment is characterized by a very high degree of criminalization.

Fifthly, in the trend of falling social value of labor, the prestige of a number of professions important for society. Sociological studies of recent years state that in labor motivation, priority is given not to meaningful work, but to work aimed at obtaining material benefits. "Big salary" - this motive turned out to be decisive when choosing a place of work.

Modern youth has such a feature that shows that most of them want to have a good income, while having neither a profession nor a desire to work. This is due to the fact that young people do not have incentives to work.

The problem of criminal influence on young people cannot but disturb the Belarusian public lately. Among criminal offenses every fourth is carried out by young people and adolescents. Among the offenses, mercenary crimes attract attention - theft, extortion of money, fraud. When analyzing statistical data, the volume of acquisitive crimes in the present period is growing rapidly. It depends on the fact that there is a differentiation among young people and most of the young people, parents cannot give what they would like, taking into account requests. And they themselves cannot receive this due to the fact that they do not have a specialty or work skills. Young people do not want to get an education just because they have no prospects after they get an education. Nowadays, more and more young people are using drugs. Maybe this comes from the hopelessness of realizing their capabilities or from the fact that, due to a lack of understanding of the seriousness, they were involved in this by people interested in drug trafficking.

Let us now dwell on the role and significance of youth in society. In general, this role is due to the following objective circumstances.

1. Youth, being a fairly large socio-demographic group, occupies an important place in national economic production as the only source of replenishment of labor resources.

2. Youth is the main bearer of the intellectual potential of society. She has great abilities for work, for creativity in all spheres of life.

3. Young people have a fairly large social and professional perspective. It is able to acquire new knowledge, professions and specialties faster than other social groups in society.

The indicated circumstances can be confirmed by actual and statistical data.

By the beginning of 1990, there were 62 million people in the former USSR. under the age of 30. At the same time, every fourth resident of the city and every fifth of the village were young people. In total, citizens under the age of 30 accounted for 43% of the working population.

The proportion of young people aged 16 to 30 in the former USSR in 1990 was 22% of the total population. Approximately the same percentage was in Ukraine. Over the past ten years, there has been a decrease in the young population in the territory of the former USSR by 4.8 million people, including in Ukraine the share of young people from 1989 to 1999 decreased from 22 to 20%.

According to 1986 data, in total national economy In the former USSR, about 40 million boys and girls were employed. At the same time, in some industries, more than half of the employees were young people. For example, in industry and construction, 54% of employees were under the age of 30, agriculture- 44, in mechanical engineering - 40, in light industry - more than 50%.

IN last years In the demographic situation with regard to young people, the following trends were noted:

The number of rural youth is growing, which is a good prerequisite for the demographic revival of the village;

There is a pronounced trend towards rejuvenation of motherhood, although a significant number of young families, due to socio-economic problems, are in no hurry to have children;

The number of young migrants is increasing, etc.

Fundamentally important when considering youth problems is the question of youth as the subject and object of social transformations.

The role of youth as a subject and object in the historical process of the development of society is very specific. From the point of view of the mechanism of socialization of youth, at first, a young person, entering life, is an object of influence of social conditions, family, friends, institutions of training and education, and then, in the process of growing up and transitioning from childhood to youth, he learns and begins to create the world himself, i.e. becomes the subject of all socio-economic, political and social transformations.

It is clear that the problem of youth has a global, universal character, and therefore is in the center of attention of all countries and major organizations in the world.

Through UNESCO, for example, from 1979 to 1989 alone, more than 100 documents were adopted concerning the problems of youth. Most of them emphasize that young people themselves, through their work, must realize their goals. Young people should be in constant search, dare, build their own destiny. Naturally, this is inherent only in democratic societies, countries with high level economic and social development.

At the same time, characterizing the problems of youth, at the fortieth session General Assembly The UN also drew attention to the fact that "young people play a dual, at first glance contradictory role, on the one hand, they actively contribute to the process of social change, and on the other hand, they are its victims" .

Indeed, today's youth cannot be focused solely on the implementation of national affairs related to the solution of plan targets; it should be given the opportunity to solve its own youth problems. The interests of young people, their real, pressing problems are an organic part of all the social tasks of society. Here it is appropriate to recall an interesting statement by the famous psychologist I.S. new technology began to outpace the pace of change of new

generations. This feature of the scientific and technological revolution significantly affected the psyche and psychology of young people, more clearly revealed their inability to live. We will enter the 21st century with this problem of youth.

Along with the loss by older generations of the right to perform the traditional teaching and upbringing function, the problem of young people's independence, their preparation for life, for conscious actions has become aggravated.

Young people today, on the one hand, increasingly feel like a special group of society within a certain "youth culture", and on the other hand, they are increasingly suffering from the insolubility of many of their specific problems. At the same time, the most serious factor that deforms the psyche of young people is the lack of a certain trust in them. Boys and girls are very little involved in solving and implementing a variety of problems in the life of modern society. Moreover, they are not even included on an equal footing in the discussion of various issues that concern all citizens.

As a result of all the causes and problems discussed above, a certain differentiation is taking place among young people, which has so far been little studied by sociological science. In particular, V.F. Levicheva in her works during the period of rapid growth of the so-called informal youth associations singled out three classes of social objects in principle different type: teenage groups; amateur associations of young people of various orientations (groups for the protection of historical and cultural monuments, "green", associations of creative youth, leisure groups, sports and recreation and peacekeeping associations, political clubs, etc.); popular fronts (social education which included young people).

SUMMARY

1. The most acceptable, in our opinion, is the following interpretation of the concept of "youth": "Youth is a relatively large socio-demographic group, distinguished on the basis of a combination of age characteristics, social status, socio-psychological properties that are determined by the social system, culture laws of socialization and education in a given society".

There is also such a more complex and multifaceted definition: "Youth as a social group is a specific social community of people, which occupies a certain place in the social structure of society, is characterized by the process of acquiring a stable social status in various social substructures (social class, social settlement, professional-labor, socio-political, family-domestic), and therefore, it is distinguished by the commonality of the problems being solved and the commonality of social interests and features of the forms of life that follow from them" [№, 17].

With the transition to the market, the formation of a democratic society, not only the ideals of young people, but also the social ideal of young people in general, change significantly. In particular, the conclusions of the Ukrainian scientist Y. Tereshchenko, who distinguishes such traits in a person of our time (and, consequently, in youth) are very interesting.

Firstly, - he writes, - this is an economically free, enterprising, enterprising, active person. He is characterized by independent creativity associated with the organization of a new business and a constant number of opportunities to apply his own strength.

Secondly, this is a person who is deeply interested in personal involvement in political freedoms. Such a person is characterized by a developed legal and moral responsibility, he is able to protect himself and others.

Thirdly, this is a person with a clearly defined worldview and ecological orientation.

Fourthly, this is a person with a nationally oriented consciousness. Such a person loves his people; for him, his native language and other signs of his native culture are a means of national self-identification.

2. The question of the age limits of youth is not just a subject of theoretical scientific dispute. In particular, the upper limit of the youth age, for all its conventionality, implies exactly the age at which a young person becomes economically independent, able to create material and spiritual values, to continue the human race. And this means that all these conditions should be considered in close unity, interdependence, and even more so without any idealization. For example, it is known that many

young people become economically independent (capable of earning a livelihood, self-sufficiency) even before the age of 28. Of course, this does not exclude receiving economic assistance from parents, relatives, friends and at a later age. In this regard, it seems to us that the youth limit (28 years) is largely determined by the period of graduation, acquiring a profession, that is, the completion of preparation for productive work in any field of activity.

Over time, the age limits of young people (in particular, in Ukraine), apparently, will have to be reviewed and determined taking into account the new socio-economic, political and other conditions for the formation and formation Ukrainian statehood generally.

3. Youth is not only a biological, but also a social process, dialectically connected with the reproduction of society, both demographically and socially. Young people are not just an object - the successor of the material and spiritual wealth of society, but also a subject - a transformer of social relations. “History,” noted K. Marx and F. Engels, “is nothing but a consistent system of separate generations, each of which uses materials, capital, productive forces transferred to it by all previous generations ... Indeed, from that, in what, relatively speaking, will be the tone of the conversation between the "fathers" who pass on the heritage, and the "children" who accept it, to a large extent, if not decisively, the stability, the stability of the system depends ")