Theoretical approaches to the concept of youth and youth transitions.

Abstract

Determining the approximate age of a young person through radiological and dental tests is a common procedure in border control by authorities when there is suspicion of having intercepted an unaccompanied minor. From a solely biological perspective, it would be possible to describe a young person based on objective characteristics determined by this scientific community. However, from a sociological perspective, the concept of youth is controversial, and it is possible to find literature where this concept as a social category is questioned. This article review authors in both senses, for and against the possibility of considering young people as a social category, aiming to contribute to the debate and consensus among social theorists on studies referring to youth, such as studies of transition to adult life. In this way, the concept of youth is interpreted from a social perspective, as a process, not as a state. However, it is still necessary to delimit the object of study using age intervals, to be operational, even running the risk of falling into the lack of conceptual consistency of the social category of youth.