100 Years of Identity Crisis

Chapter 5: Socialisation and Its Counter-Cultural Impulse

As society became distanced from its past it became increasingly difficult for adults to figure out what values they ought to transmit to the younger generations. From the late 19^th century onwards, adult authority over the process of socialisation was continually contested. Numerous social and professional movements insisted that only they possessed the expertise required for the socialisation of young people. Movements for Mental Hygiene, Social Hygiene, Eugenics and the Children’s Bureau, along with networks of psychologists, social scientists and educators, contributed to the displacement of parental authority. They were joined by influential commentators and policy makers associated ...