<p>The aim with this thesis is to study how the phenomenon young people who run away from home (runaways) is presented in the research literature. The question at issue in our thesis is: How does research literature present the phenomenon of young people who run away from home? We have selected seven primary documents that we consider gives a broad picture of the knowledge about runaways. We have a postmodern and a hermeneutic approach in our thesis. Our material has been analyzed on the basis of social constructionist theory and the new sociological paradigm of childhood. The research findings show that there are no uniform picture of the young people who run away from home. The act, to run away from home, is also described in various ways. Runaways are often described as victims of difficult life circumstances and the act, to run away from home, is in most cases considered as a reaction to a serious situation at home. We also found descriptions where the young people are presented as strong manipulative individuals. The act, to run away from home, is presented as a violation against the universal social norms considering when and how the youth is allowed to leave the parental home.</p>

The aim with this thesis is to study how the phenomenon young people who run away from home (runaways) is presented in the research literature. The question at issue in our thesis is: How does research literature present the phenomenon of young people who run away from home? We have selected seven primary documents that we consider gives a broad picture of the knowledge about runaways. We have a postmodern and a hermeneutic approach in our thesis. Our material has been analyzed on the basis of social constructionist theory and the new sociological paradigm of childhood. The research findings show that there are no uniform picture of the young people who run away from home. The act, to run away from home, is also described in various ways. Runaways are often described as victims of difficult life circumstances and the act, to run away from home, is in most cases considered as a reaction to a serious situation at home. We also found descriptions where the young people are presented as strong manipulative individuals. The act, to run away from home, is presented as a violation against the universal social norms considering when and how the youth is allowed to leave the parental home.