One of the sources of difficulty in adolescence in this country is that we
do not clearly define the point at which a person becomes an adult. A
whole series of significant points mark his entry into adulthood for specific
purposes, but these range over at least a five-year period, from age 16 to
age 21. The age at which one may leave school, drive a car, drink beer or
hard liquor, get drafted, get married without his parent's permission, sign
a legal document, and vote may all be different, and may even vary from
state to state. Using only age as an indication, most people would agree
that a person is an adult when he is 21, but many would insist that adult-
hood is reached before that age, and a few might argue for an older age.

From the perspective of the socialization process, most of these age-
based marks of adulthood are less significant than other, less uniform
indices. Since we view socialization as a process by which the individual is
prepared to carry out the duties of adult positions in society, the mark of
adulthood most significant for our purposes is the actual performance of
adult roles. Given the high degree of differentiation within the adult popu-

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