Childhood as a resource and laboratory for the self-project

The biographies of individuals in today’s societies are characterized by the need to exert effort and make decisions in planning one’s life course. A ‘self-project’ has to be worked out both retrospectively and prospectively; childhood becomes important as a resource and a laboratory for the self-pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Childhood (Copenhagen, Denmark) Denmark), 2011-05, Vol.18 (2), p.180-195
Main Authors: Buhler-Niederberger, Doris, Konig, Alexandra
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agency
Biographies
Career aspirations
Childhood
Children
Class
Context Effect
Decision Making
Decisions
Laboratories
Life course
Life cycles
Occupational Aspiration
Occupational Choice
Self
Social Class
Social structure
Theory Practice Relationship
Time Perspective
Youth
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Summary:The biographies of individuals in today’s societies are characterized by the need to exert effort and make decisions in planning one’s life course. A ‘self-project’ has to be worked out both retrospectively and prospectively; childhood becomes important as a resource and a laboratory for the self-project. This empirical study analyses how the occupational choices of young people are connected with their occupational aspirations as a child. Children’s aspirations prove to be class-sensitive. Studying the importance of childhood in the self-project thus makes it possible to consider children’s agency in the interconnection of class and generational categories.
ISSN:0907-5682
1461-7013
DOI:10.1177/0907568210391490