Socialization and the Life Cycle

This book is about love, labor and loss. It deals with the affection and guidance of family, teachers, and friends, and the intimacy of primary relationships; with rites of passage from childhood to adulthood; with the problems of dating and mating; with the critical importance of occupation and the significances of age and the later years. it consists of a variety of articles by prominent sociologists and sociologically sensitive writers whose research reports and commentaries offer the reader a close look at the process of socialization from cradle to grave -- and, in a sense beyond the grave, since the functions of bereavement for survivors are also considered.