Being positive, being hopeful, being happy : young adults reflecting on their future in times of austerity
| Autor: | Minna Nikunen, Päivi Korvajärvi |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Yhteiskuntatieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Předmět: |
Cultural Studies
media_common.quotation_subject Affect (psychology) Education Developmental psychology tulevaisuudenodotukset Optimism Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) happiness Young adult työelämä media_common nuoret aikuiset optimismi Working life youth 05 social sciences 050301 education futurity optimism taloudellinen tila Austerity 050903 gender studies affect working-life Happiness nuoruus 0509 other social sciences Psychology onnellisuus 0503 education Futures contract |
| Popis: | The aim of this article is to analyse the ways in which young adults reflect on their futures. We are particularly interested in how they expect to organize their lives in conditions that seem to offer pessimistic rather than hopeful prospects. How does this happen under social conditions where the major public and individual concerns are with how young adults organize their material lives and how they earn sufficient livelihoods to become good citizens? What are the grounds for their future visions? In our analysis we use 40 interviews with young Finnish adults aged between 18 and 30. The respondents are students, as well as employed and unemployed young adults. Our findings show that the young adults’ anticipated future experiences – contrary to common expectations – are positive. These conclusions are often drawn from social comparisons, especially with imagined peers. Those who saw their own and their peers’ future as depending more on luck focused on societal insecurity. One group that had positive expectations emphasized happiness. Instead of seeking material success, many of the young adults reported that their goal was to be happy in their future lives. Happiness appears to involve both living according to, and coping with, the demands of the economy and employment. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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