MODERN APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF YOUTH SOCIOLOGY

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the problem of modern study of youth in the framework of such a science as sociology is investigated, theoretical and methodological approaches to the definition of the concept of "youth" are also studied. Special attention is paid to the contradiction between the results of youth research in modern science and the conclusions of classical theoretical works.

Keywords: youth, sociology of youth, theoretical and methodological analysis, youth studies, subculture of youth.

Introduction. The analysis of the development of any science is always considered from the beginning of the study of its first interpretations. It is the study of historical data that helps to trace the course in the emergence of theoretical and methodological principles in determining the object of study, its properties and individual characteristics. The analysis of such approaches in the subject area of each science allows us to interpret its current state.

Methodology and methods. The object of study in this article is a certain science, such as the sociology of youth, where the younger generation at different historical stages was considered from all possible positions. Such a property of youth as change allows researchers to approach its understanding and definition in a new way every time. Modern approaches to the study of youth sociology are aimed at a full understanding of the object of study, based on changes in behavior, attitudes of modern young people, but at the same time, such approaches are based on classical principles of sociological cognition.

The first scientific schools that were born, in which concepts and sociological theories were developed, determined the formation of youth sociology as an industry discipline. Later, in the course of a full-fledged study of this science, the main concepts that define youth in terms of its main features at the historical stages of its cognition were determined. V.I. Chuprov summarized the theories on the study of youth formulated by previous scientists into concepts named after the characteristics of the study of youth: psychoanalytic, structural-functional, riskological, culturological [1].

Modern approaches to understanding the sociology of youth differ from the classical ones. The main reason is the emergence of new social problems, primarily related to the modernization of society, technological structures. The influence of new theoretical approaches can be traced in the mass of empirical studies of sociologists studying various aspects of the life of young people, their consciousness and behavior.

New directions in the field of youth research relate primarily to problems in the field of economics (unemployment, employment, self-realization in the field of entrepreneurship, youth protection). Also, the main feature of the modern period in youth studies is their pragmatic focus on studying ways to enter adult society. These and other problems are reflected in the research of the Center for the Study of Employment at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (L.A. Koklyagina) [2]. So, V.N. Shubkin, a representative of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that improving morality is a necessary prerequisite for solving the problems of the younger generation [3]. The current research reflects the latest trends in the life of the younger generation and the most acute points of collision of its various groups with institutions and representatives of other generations.

However, if we consider precisely the object of studying the sociology of youth – young people, then such modern representatives do not have a proper understanding of their own group, the very subculture of "youth". Thus, during the author's sociological research on this topic among students on the basis of the National Research University "BelSu" in Belgorod, the following results were revealed.

Research Results and Discussion. To the question "Do you know what "Youth Sociology" means?" 80% of the respondents answered positively, however, when considering the results regarding knowledge of the basic concepts of youth sociology, students chose negative answers (Figure 1,2).

Figure 1. "Are you familiar with the concepts of "Sociology of Youth"?

Figure 2. "If you are familiar with the concepts of youth, will you choose which one?"

According to the survey results, we can say that the younger generation is not interested in studying the characteristics, concepts of sociology, the primary subject of scientific research, which they are. Young people are involved in the study of the sociology of youth only indirectly, as they are able to influence their behavior to change interpretations in subsequent studies.

Analyzing the respondents' answers regarding the understanding of the definitions of "youth" and "subculture of youth", we can say that these concepts are interpreted by most of the younger generation within the framework of the fact that these objects of study are distanced from social processes. Most of the answers to the question: "What do you mean by the concept of "Subculture of youth"?" are similar to those presented:

• "Subculture of young people, which differs in its behavior from that accepted in society";

• "A subculture of young people, where its members perceive the world around them quite differently from others";

• "The culture of young people who prioritize the desire to stand out."

Analyzing the survey data of a sociological study on the same topic, 85% of young people consider themselves to belong to some subculture of youth, they also believe that the entry of an individual into various youth associations means that this person seeks to "escape from reality» (Figure 3).

Figure 3. "What are the reasons for young people joining various subcultures/associations?"

In the riskological classical concept, the researchers believed that young people cannot be removed from various social processes, as this is detrimental to their representatives. It is precisely this contradiction between the views of modern youth and classical scientists that gives modern researchers the need to change the interpretations of concepts, while focusing on how to influence the younger generation so that it is most complete and easy for young people to socialize in society.

Conclusions. Thus, modern approaches, theoretical and methodological principles, developed in the context of existing and newly emerging scientific schools of youth sociology, are aimed at studying the own object of this social group, in all its variability. At the same time, modern scientists are guided by changes in young people's behavior, understanding of their "own self", the formation of individual new attitudes, holistic ideas about the future. This statement can also be compared with the results of the respondents surveyed on the topic of the study.

Speaking about the prospects for further study, in the coming years we should expect a special rise in interest in the field of knowledge of the sociology of youth, the reason for this is the entry into adulthood of the first age cohort, the conscious phase of socialization of which occurred during the development of market relations in Russia [4]. However, modern scientists should pay more attention to the knowledge of the youth of the studied group itself, and not to the "sick" points of youth behavior, the object of the researchers' study also agrees with this statement.

Summing up, we can say that modern sociologists definitely contribute to the development of the theoretical basis of the general sociology of youth, improving the definitions of its components, conducting fundamental and applied sociological research, introducing the results into social practice as samples for further study.

References:

1. Chuprov, V.I. Sociologia molodeghi: ychebnik [Text] / C.I. Chuprov, Y.A. Zubok. - M.: NORMA: INFRA-M, 2011. – 355 s.
2. Lupandin V.N. Sociologia molodeghi: ychebnik [Text] / V.N. Lupandin; M-vo obrazovaniya I nauki Rossyiskoy Federacii, Federalnoe gos. Budghetnoe obrazovatelnoe uchreghdenie vish. Prof. obrazovania «Gos. un-t-uchebno-naucho-proizvodstvennyi kompleks». – Orel: Gosun-t - UNPK, 2011. – 235 s.
3. Shubkin, V.N. Nachalo puti: Problemi molodeghi v zerkale sociologii I literature [Text] / V.N. Shubkin. – M.: Mol. gvardia, 1979. – 224 s.
4. Semenova, V.V. Sociologia v Rosii: Sociologia molodeghi [Text] / pod red. V.A. Yadova // V.V. Semenova. – M.: Izdatelstvo Instituta sociologii RAN, 1998. – 696 s.