This study examines the impact of social class on the school-to-work (STW) transitions of young adults in working-class occupations. Using an exploratory, qualitative research methodology, interviews were conducted with 10 men and 10 women to examine the role of social class in the STW transition. All participants were working in low-skilled jobs and grouped into 2 cohorts based on their family's socioeconomic background: higher socioeconomic status (HSES) and lower socioeconomic status (LSES). The findings indicate that social class played an important role in the participants' STW transition. Individuals from the HSES cohort expressed greater interest in work as a source of personal satisfaction, higher levels of self-concept crystallization, greater access to external resources, and greater levels of career adaptability compared with their LSES counterparts. I was forced into this way of life. It's like I was forced to drop out of school and being in the position I am in now. (Participant #40

and the American Honda Foundation. The data presented, the statements made, and the views expressed are solely the responsibilities of the authors. We gratefully acknowledge and thank Richard F. Haase for statistical consultation.

This study sought to examine how poor and working-class urban adolescents conceive of work as well as the work-related messages they receive from their families. Data were collected to understand how 9th-grade urban students perceive work using an exploratory and qualitative research methodology. Although the data suggested that urban youths' conceptions of work were complex and varied, the conceptual array of urban youths' perceptions of work suggested that work does not generally represent a means of self-concept expression or the expression of one's interest in the world of work. Specifically, urban youth tended to define work in terms of external outcomes (e.g., money), which was also a common theme among the messages they received about work from their families.

This articIe analyzes the implications of sociopolitical context for career services delivery. Beginning with a reflection on the social foundations of the practice of career counseling, 4 specific Portuguese conditions are presented and discussed in light of existing knowledge in the field. The 4 underlying issues presented are (a) the impact ofpolitical changes on career services delivery, (b) the rigidity vs. flexibility of the educational system, (c) politicai and psycho-. logical perspectives on employment, and (d) the relationship between power and career services delivery. A research agenda founded in politicai anthropology is proposed that may enhance future career services delivery.We begin this article with a statement: PsychoIogy, in a broad sense, and potitics shouId establish a common platform of theoretical thinking as wel1 .as a convergen'ce' for action. Psychology should not forget the contexts where·people live, and politics should not forget that citizens are persons with specific behaviors and different life stories. ln other words, we think that an interface between potitics and psychology should become a concrete reality. PoliticaI psychology is a well-developed scientific field; however, cooperation between behavioral scientists and politicians needs to be deepened. Psychology needs to assume that the politicaI structure that affects people's lives '(e.g., type of regime, labor Iaws) is an important dimension oftheir Bfe contexto ln addition, when, for example, politicians make laws, they lnust put their efforts into ensuring that those laws are representative ofthe people's expectations and will and that the law adjusts itself to the behavioralIaws that govern peopIe. Both psychologists and politicians are agents of change. However, behavioral change is n9t possibIe without the understanding oflife contexts, Eduardo J. R. Sa1'ltos

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