...This chapter explores the social structures that affect the development of human agency. Its main issue is the rise of the ideal of autonomy, as a developmental norm, that is a major consequence of the transformation of public policies. In addition, the fall of traditional society and the growth...

...Recent decades has seen a shift from what may be termed a 'politics of emancipation' to a politics of life. In a post-traditional society, late-modern people, young and old, are individualized and forced to lead a life on the basis of a reflexive lifestyle. Key aims for older people include those...