Adolescent focal theories: age-trends in developmental transitions

Focal theory is considered as a framework for looking at psychosocial and leisure transitions in middle and later adolescence. Although these transitions are examined from a different perspective in the present study, by utilising cross-sectional survey data from a representative sample of three age groups of young Scots (13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 year-olds), the results confirm and extend the general age-trends in relational issues and leisure involvement reported in original studies. Within this overall picture, few gender differences are found in age-related relational transitions, but gender differences are apparent in shifting focuses of leisure involvement with age. Further, the findings suggest a linkage between relational issues in adolescence and leisure contexts, where psychosocial processes are seen to be associated with contextual changes in young people's lives. Focal theory has been criticised for a failure to take true account of the social circumstances, constraints and contexts affecting adolescent development, but in the present study surprisingly few differences are found with respect to the young person's social class of family background, for example, with age-trends in developmental transitions similar for all social groups. By contrast, in later adolescence aspects of the young person's own socio-economic position, rather than that of their family background, are clearly linked to both relational issues and leisure involvement, for example, creating a disrupting effect on those young people who are currently unemployed or non-employed at this age.