Youth in the age of anxiety : the case of a southern European location

Abstract

This paper examines the sociological implications of personal anxiety for youth in tertiary education. The arguments brought forward are positioned broadly within a discourse on individualisation – on how youth today are devising their lives on their own free-will and experiencing anxiety due to self-reliance. Various socio-economic and cultural conditions have a direct impact on their degree of anxiety. This paper focuses on three of them – changes in the educational system, employment prospects and personal debts. This paper analyses increased anxiety in youth, outlined by various studies, and how it transcends in southern Europe. The data drawn on for this paper are taken from interviews conducted in Malta. The implications brought forward include the need for a more detailed exploration of the familial support network and its work in reducing anxiety. Youth experience a kind of ‘institutional individualisation’ – Their reflexive deliberations leading to angst are cushioned by their familial support network.