The (late?) modern family: The family's significance for adolescents in Germany and Israel

Abstract

This study presents German and Israeli youth's heroes and role models. Two hundred twenty-six students from 22 high schools took part in small group interviews. Despite differences in the normative place of the family in the two cultures, the comparison reveals significant similarities between their views and what attributes the subjects assign to their families. Three main models of family members as hero arise from the data: The Self-made Person; sacrifice and pro-social action; and contending with everyday reality. The results point to a) the fading of traditional heroes from the imagination of youth in post-industrial societies; b) the substantive place the family holds in young people's lives. I suggest that the rise of uncertainty and risk in the current socio-historical constellation, contributes to adolescents' choice of figures from their immediate environments that embody safety and a moral framework.

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