Adolescents and Morality

There is a general tendency among those who talk about youth problems to make pronouncements on moral issues. This is very often done with little knowledge of the facts, so that these problems concerning young people are discussed in something of a vacuum, outside the general context of the social structure in which they live. The value of the Eppels' book lies in the fact that not only have they investigated the climate of opinion on morality, as expressed through medical , educational and religious reports; they have also produced facts from the findings of research among a number of young workers in London. This main section of their book will be appreciated and studied by those who wish to know some facts on the present day moral values of the young. It must be remembered that their investigation was concerned with Lon-don : it might have been usefully extended to the provinces and country villages, where from experience many of us find that moral values are still different from those in the big cities. In some ways, the smaller community is far more influenced by mass media than the sophisticated town dweller. But this is small criticism of a book which could be a great help to social workers, youth leaders, and those concerned with adolescent development, mental health and moral conflict.