The Runaway Child In America

Abstract

AMERICAN observers of and practitioners in youth and family problems have tended to be ahistorical in orientation. This observation has particular relevance to the runaway youth issue. Despite thoughts to the contrary, running away was not a creation of the countercultural movement of the 1960s, but its roots are embedded and intertwined in American history and culture. It is therefore imperative to develop a context and perspective in order to understand this behavior and, in doing so, to formulate responsive and appropriate social policies as a way of addressing this important issue.