Bakgrund: Under de senaste åren har debatten om ungdomars psykiska besvär hamnat i rampljuset. Undersökningar som gjorts på området visar bland annat att orsakerna, till att ungdomar upplever känslor som ångest, oro och stress, kan vara ökad individualisering och ökad valfrihet. Dagens samhälle erbjuder en rad olika valmöjligheter och livsstilar och det kan för vissa ungdomar vara en utmaning att orientera sig bland dessa.  Syfte: Med redogörelser och resonemang, som beskrivs i uppsatsen, kan man anta att de förändringar som skett, i takt med det moderna samhällets framväxt, har påverkat ungdomarnas situation i samhället. Uppsatsen syfte är att lyfta fram en grupp ungdomar som upplever ett sviktande välbefinnande och presentera deras berättelser för att på så vis synliggöra deras inställning till hur dagens samhälle påverkar deras välbefinnande. Jag vill även skapa en förståelse för hur de rör sig inom och förhåller sig till olika samhällsarenor och sociala arenor. Metod: Studien är baserad på narrativ metod. I de narrativa intervjuerna användes en halvstrukturerad intervjuguide med övergripande teman. Insamling av materialet har skett genom livsberättelser med fem respondenter och under samtalets gång har följdfrågor ställts som varit relevanta i det unika mötet. Teori: Studien lyfter fram begreppen individualisering, främre och bakre region, val av livsstilar, anomi och sociala band. Dessa begrepp har varit till hjälp i analyseringen av materialet, vilket utgörs av ungdomarnas berättelser, samt i besvarandet av syftet och frågeställningarna. Resultat: Resultatet visade att förändringar inom samhällsarenor och sociala arenor har påverkat ungdomarna och deras välbefinnande. De upplever svårigheter i att förhålla sig till omgivningen, arbetslivet och orientera sig bland samhällets olika valmöjligheter. Vidare visar också resultatet att de arenor som är av betydelse för ungdomarnas välbefinnande är sociala relationer och meningsfulla aktiviteter och det är inom dessa som ungdomarna upplever att deras välbefinnande påverkas positivt. / Background: The mental state of adolescents has during the last years ended up in the spotlight. Studies have shown that the causes to the health issues have been increased individualization and increased freedom of choice. The society today offers a variety of options and lifestyles and for some adolescents it could be a challenge to choose among them.   Purpose: With statements and arguments that the study describes, one can assume that the changes that have occurred have affected the situation of the youths in the society. This essay aims to highlight a group of young people with declining well-being and present their stories to thereby display their approach to the way our society has affect their well-being. I also want to create an understanding of how they relates to different social arenas. Methodology: The study is based on narrative methodology. A semi structural interview guide with themes has been used to gathering information from the young people; the data collected consists of five life stories and follow-up questions. Theory: The terms in the study are individualization, front and back stage, the choice of lifestyles, anomie and social bonds. These terms have been helpful in analyzing the narratives and to answer the purpose.   Results: The results showed that the changes within the different social arenas have affected adolescents and their well-being. They experienced difficulties to relate to the environment, work and to orient among various choices of the society. The study also showed that the social arenas that are of importance to the adolescents’ well-being are social bonds and meaningful activities.

<p>The purpose of this study is to gain understanding of how self employed entrepreneurs (hereafter referred to as “entrepreneurs”) develop their competence based on their perceived learning space. The main question is: How do these entrepreneurs develop their competence based on their perceived learning space? Other questions relevant for the study are: How important is the social environment for these entrepreneurs and how do they interact with their social environment in order to develop their competence. The study has a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews with six entrepreneurs were conducted, during March and April 2008. The main finding of this study is the process by which the entrepreneurs develop their competence based on their perceived learning space. This is done through interaction with the entrepreneurs’ social environment. With a specific work task in mind, the entrepreneur evaluates his/her own competence in order to solve the task at hand, and in parallell search for the needed competence in his/her social environment. The social environment is therefore found to be very important to the entrepreneurs in the study. The active and conscious interactions lead to learning and in turn to development of the individual competence. This approach is essential for the entrepreneur to keep up-to-date and to stay attractive on the work market. Another finding in the study is how the entrepreneurs are forced to be more selective in the development of their competence, compared to a traditional employee, i.e. the entrepreneur needs to be more aware of whether he or she will gain anything from engaging in the specific activity. The responsibility for development of the individual competence lies solely on the entrepreneur. The development of the competence is however not separated from the overall responsibility of the business, but can be seen as part of the daily work.</p>

The purpose of this study is to gain understanding of how self employed entrepreneurs (hereafter referred to as “entrepreneurs”) develop their competence based on their perceived learning space. The main question is: How do these entrepreneurs develop their competence based on their perceived learning space? Other questions relevant for the study are: How important is the social environment for these entrepreneurs and how do they interact with their social environment in order to develop their competence. The study has a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews with six entrepreneurs were conducted, during March and April 2008. The main finding of this study is the process by which the entrepreneurs develop their competence based on their perceived learning space. This is done through interaction with the entrepreneurs’ social environment. With a specific work task in mind, the entrepreneur evaluates his/her own competence in order to solve the task at hand, and in parallell search for the needed competence in his/her social environment. The social environment is therefore found to be very important to the entrepreneurs in the study. The active and conscious interactions lead to learning and in turn to development of the individual competence. This approach is essential for the entrepreneur to keep up-to-date and to stay attractive on the work market. Another finding in the study is how the entrepreneurs are forced to be more selective in the development of their competence, compared to a traditional employee, i.e. the entrepreneur needs to be more aware of whether he or she will gain anything from engaging in the specific activity. The responsibility for development of the individual competence lies solely on the entrepreneur. The development of the competence is however not separated from the overall responsibility of the business, but can be seen as part of the daily work.