Book Reading #40: Coming of Age in Samoa

Reference Information

Title: Coming of Age in Samoa

Author: Margaret Mead

Editor: Harper Perennial, 1928 (1971)

Chapter 14: Education for Choice
Summary
This chapter discussed the problems with our educational system and suggested some solutions to fixing them (with some insight from Samoan culture). The chapter stresses that adolescence is not necessarily a time of stress and strain, but that the inherent, uneasily changed, cultural factors of American and English societies tend to make it so. The presence of conflicting standards, such as a child's family vs. other people in that child's generation, add to the stress.

Discussion 
I found it interesting that the author stated that American and English children have parental disapproval expressed through control of money, which ends up presenting a problem once the adolescent is old enough to get a job. It's very true that money seems to be a large factor in parental control, and that seems like it could lead to many problems. In addition, I agree that the problem of emphasizing the ability to choose your beliefs, but then insisting that a child follow a particular belief, such as the parents', is a large problem of conflict. However, I liked the author's solution of educating children about every option that they will be confronted with, so that they will have less stress of trying to decide between obeying their family's beliefs or their generation's beliefs, but instead can easily choose for themselves.