Hope and despair: keys to the socio-psychodynamics of youth

A psychology of hope and despair is offered, integrating findings from recent psychological research in application to the interpretation of unrest among youth in the 1960s, of present socially problematic behavior, and of response to life under threat of nuclear holocaust. Survey data suggest a complex pattern: the majority of youth are hopeful about their own immediate future, but far fewer are optimistic about their nation and the world. Implications for individual action and social policy are offered.