Young People's Ability to Act against the Practices of the Cooling-out: A Case Study using the Example of Three Male Adolescents in the Swiss Transitional Regime

This case study examines how three (male) adolescents try to resist the cooling out processes of the transitional regime, from the perspective of the subject. According to Goffman, their practices of resistance are interpreted as primary and secondary adaptations. The example cases show that young people act as agents in this so-called struggle for a realistic career perspective. In some cases, they succeed in realizing their training wishes, but in others, they do not. Regardless, they maintain and prove their ability to act in spite of peers. Against this background, the paper suggests that the cooling-out processes of the transitional regime should not be examined separately from practices of resistances.