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This thesis addresses the representation of youth in film and popular culture, with specific attention given to the articulation of youth agency or subjectivity. The concept of 'youth' as a cultural group is separate from (but related to) any notions of youth as biological category. Representations of youth, and popular texts aimed at a youth audience, are common within popular culture, as 'youth' is perceived to be a desirable target market with an excess of disposable income. At the same time, youth rarely possess the means of constructing their own cultural representations, so that they are spoken for rather than being able to have an authentic voice within culture.

This thesis explores gender in contemporary youth taste cultures, contributing to the academic field through its illumination of taste’s role in the (re)production of gender. We continue to see inequality on the basis of gender in contemporary society and thus this thesis provides a much needed understanding of the (re)production of gender during youth. Much of the academic field has interrogated gender and youth, albeit with the majority looking at the experiences of boys and girls separately. However, little work has considered taste as being a potentially regulatory space in terms of gender during youth. Meanwhile, save some important interjections by Skeggs (1997), gender has largely been overlooked in the taste culture literature. This thesis shows that there is great potential in bringing together taste and youth, allowing us to better understand the complexities of gender (re)production. To explore these issues this thesis takes an empirical approach. In total, 112 people aged 13-16 from the Norfolk region took part in this study. Both traditional and innovative qualitative methods were used, and they were designed to develop a rich understanding of contemporary youth taste cultures. A bespoke identity page was a created as a means of capturing the cultural texts young people like and dislike, and a series of focus groups were also undertaken where collective meanings were foregrounded. The richness of empirical evidence and its careful analysis has revealed the significant role that taste plays in young people’s discursive (re)production of gender. It finds that young people inscribe a range of cultural texts with gendered value, and that they use these understandings to regulate the parameters of gender ‘appropriate’ taste. This thesis therefore contributes to the academic field not only through its development of academic theory, but also in the wealth and originality of data that it provides.

A large amount of research has been conducted into the effects that written emotional disclosure (WED) has on adults' health and well being. Early meta-analyses (e.g. Smyth, 1998) indicated that WED had substantial effects on adults, however recent meta-analyses indicate the effect is small (Frattaroli, 2006) or nonexistent (Mogk, Otte, Reinhold-Hurley, & Kroner-Herwig, 2006). Little research has investigated the effects of WED on children and adolescents. The purpose of the current research was to test whether WED is an effective intervention for early adolescents. The aim of the research was to evaluate the overall effects of WED on adolescents' health and psychosocial functioning, to investigate moderators of the effects of WED, and to explore the content of the emotional writing. To meet these aims two longitudinal studies were conducted. In each study, questionnaires to measure health and psychosocial functioning were administered to participants, aged 12- 13, at baseline. Participants were assigned to a no writing control, factual writing control or emotional writing group. Writing was completed once a week for 3 weeks. The questionnaires were completed again one week after the final writing session and a further 2 months later. Across both studies the writing manipulation was successful: participants in the emotional writing group used more words indicating cognitive and affective processing than participants in the factual writing group did. However, WED was found to have no effects on any of the outcome measures. Moreover, the hypothesised moderators generally did not moderate the effects of WED. A. thematic analysis of the emotional transcripts from Study 2 revealed the perceived purpose of the writing was an important issue to be considered in WED interventions. Together, the results from these studies suggest that WED is not a suitable intervention for early adolescents. It is suggested that adolescents may benefit from alternative interventions and that such interventions should be situated within the curriculum to make them more relevant to teachers, parents and students

The idea of finding a useful tool for bringing peace to the earth, understanding the true nature of conflict between human groups and creating harmony amongst living species seems an almost magical and unrealistic aim for science. Yet,like many other scientific disciplines, the field of political psychology has been accumulating scientific observations and knowledge about individuals and human groups around this magical aim to achieve a better future for all. This thesis, then, contributes to this goal through interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives and systematic research, particularly focusing on the relationship between the dynamics in multiple identity processes, inter-group trust, and constructions of various forms of citizenship amongst adolescents in post-conflict societies. In order to provide theoretical, and methodological, contributions that may be relevant for policy and practice, four empirical enquiries were conceived to assess the dynamics of national identities, the role of citizenship and political trust in the identification process, and inter-group relations among young individuals during the peace process in Northern Ireland; and they revealed that even after decades of the peace process, 1) identification with classic national identities is strongly associated with out-group distrust. The newly-emerging superordinate national identity, Northern Irish, has become popular among youths in the social climate of the post Good Friday Agreement; 2) endorsement of this new identity leads to increasing out-group political trust, which turns into positive inter-group trust; these relationships however depended on the degree of civic citizenship acquired. 3) In the context of post-conflict transformation, the everyday life of individuals in mixed environments, where relative group status is balanced, impacts on the development of civic citizenship and positive inter-group relations. In this transformation process, 4) the formation of a superordinate social identity (in this case Northern Irish) is not necessarily based on the similarity of group members; but could be formed by perceptions of diversity of in-group membership instead. Overall, I contended that the future of intergroup relations in this complex socio-political context of post-conflict Northern Ireland, intergroup attitudes should be better understood within a theoretical framework embodying issues of multiple identities. citizenship orientation and political socialisation of young generations.

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Introduction Understanding the way in which Inusic is chosen and used by adolescents to express identity is explored in this thesis. Given the increasing diversity of familial structures, the social backdrop and environment in which teenagers are raised is also considered to be salient. The record industry continues to consider 'youth' as a homogenous target audience, differentiating only between male and females and grouping theln by age (15-24 years). This does not account for the rise in early teenage consUlnption nor does it facilitate an understanding of Inusic use and consumption. This study explores the 'journey' of adolescence and the role of music, family and friends in this process. 36 teenagers were recruited to ascertain the views and experiences of adolescents and the role Inusic plays in identity expression. Methodology Initial interviews were held with 12 teenagers ranging in age frOln 12-to-17 years. Follow-up, longitudinal interviews were then conducted six months to a year later with the satne respondents. Ten of these respondents were then 'recruited' to become 'experts' and interviewed a close friend, a member of their friendship group and one of their parents. The in-depth interviews conducted by the author explored the role of Inusic in identity expression considering if and how this role would change over tilne. This was to understand the influence of friends and the role of fatnily Inembers in identity fonnation during this period of socialisation. A more ethnographic approach was then en1ployed as 10 teenagers became 'researchers', designing their own interviews and independently conducting and recording their 'own' research. This gave credibility and validity to the initial research findings and provided a dilnension to the research that the author would be unable to obtain on his own Inerit. Findings Although there were issues on which the adolescents agreed unanilnously, many expressions of identity through Inusic and associated semiotic cOlnlnunication were viewed differently by males and females and those raised in a variety of fatnily environments. The findings also illustrated that the use of and dependence on music varied between teenagers raised in intact, blended and single parent fatnilies and that this was relevant for understanding music consUlnption as well as providing a foundation for Inore targeted communication approaches. The teenage experts who conducted their 'own' research also 'interpreted' their own data which contributed to an understanding of the difference between the 'close friend' and Inelnber of a friendship group. Contribution Using the infonnation from this research, key characteristics associated with -adolescent Inusic consumption provided a basis for profiling teenage music conSUlners. These segments included adolescents who were' extreme' or 'chameleon' like in their behaviour ancithose who were more' experiential '. By exploring identity expression, Inusic consUlnption and the social context in which the adolescents were raised, this research has implications for the way in which research is conducted by, for and with adolescents and for the music industry and their approach to understanding the teenage market and the future consumption of music itself

This study explored the influence of neighbourhood, social and leisure contexts on substance use and antisocial behaviour in adolescence. Directed by social control theory, the research drew upon a range of sub theories deemed to expand the main principles associated with leisure time and the neighbourhood. In particular, the study explored social control under the umbrella of formal and informal mechanisms of control and the relative influence of self-control and self-regulation on substance use and antisocial behaviour in adolescence. It continued by examining leisure concepts such as leisure boredom and routine activity theory and delved into neighbourhood effects through secondary socialisation theory, social organisation theory and community crime management. The research employed a multiple case study design. Case locations were selected and informed through the analysis of a number of relevant secondary data sources. To address the main aim and objectives of the study, the methodological framework of ethnography was chosen for data collection when in the field. In total, 70 young people aged between 13 and 17 years and 5 youth workers from two areas of Belfast Northern Ireland took part in the study. Young people attended youth cent res in these areas or were approached for participation during detached work in the community. In all, the data collection methods included observation, interviews, focus groups and participant photography . In addition to providing a new multi theoretical model to the subject area, the research offered a number of novel contributions to the knowledge base. Study highlights are discussed in the context of relevant theory and empirical research under the themes of, (1) Youth Culture, (2) Leisure Activities, (3) Community Influence, and (4) Visual Methods. While adding to the limited qualitative literature available in the field, this thesis also provided a Northern Irish perspective to the knowledge base.

The purpose of this thesis is two-fold. Firstly, to probe the social positioning of 14-15 year old Northern Irish teenagers within an adult-centred society, utilising underage alcohol consumption as a window into exploring this issue. Secondly, this thesis seeks to demonstrate the utility of adopting a Goffinanian theoretical perspective when analysing "childhood" and "youth" - an approach which offers an integrative framework encompassing the interrelationship of the self, social structures, emotions, resistance and agency. The research design is qualitative, drawing upon written exercises, pictorial prompts and focus group interviews with 251 teenagers, conducted within twelve schools located in East and West Belfast. Three themes emerged from the empirical data which illuminate aspects of teenage social positioning within an adult world: the profaned self, the productive self and the projected self. Firstly, the profaned self directs attention to adult-child relations and the overarching, mortifying categorical identity which teenagers are routinely ascribed within adult society. Secondly, the productive self relates to aspects of teenage selfhood which are . exhibited indirectly through teenage normative practices - an accomplishment which seemingly exhibits autonomous agency, but which remains modulated by adult standards. Thirdly, the projected self explores the gendered, classed and ethno-national distinctions generated among teenagers which mark out identities within their overarching categorical positioning, although the wider adult structure still interlaces evaluations of permissible performances. These findings are subsequently analysed through Goffinan's concept of "moral career", demonstrating how the teenage self is patterned by an individual's social position within the wider institutional complex of adult society. The overall thrust of the research contends that even though the self is actualised as a stance-taking entity, the overarching impact of adult structures merely opens up apparent possibilities for manoeuvring selfhood, whilst constraining teenagers to a restrictive idiom of real choices.

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