Under thirty in the Third World.

Abstract

During the 1960s in the United States the phrase Over 30 came to be used as a symbol of the Youth Movement. It indicated the fact that a major dividing line was perceived to exist between older people who were thought to favor the established status quo and the younger ones who were severely and actively critical of the world in which they were growing up. The phrase was one among many factors which drew attention to people in their 20's. The attention was multifaceted and was concerned with the social, psychological, historical, economic, philosophical as well as political aspects of the events which took place in these years. For those interested in the psychological aspects, it seemed that many young people were profoundly discontented and disillusioned, that among them the use of potentially harmful drugs was greatly increasing, that many flocked to encounter groups and mystic cults in search of relief from self-doubt and as an outlet for self-expression, and further that they contributed a vast portion to the rising crime index. Inevitably questions were raised about mental health. Are the young actually more troubled and more troubling than the older? Are the rates of emotional problems actually increasing among people in their 2Ws? Has psychiatry neglected the post-adolescent phase and failed to see that rather regularly it is a