American Lives: Looking Back at the Children of the Great Depression

This solid report attempts to assess what makes happy, successful lives. Based on the 60-year Berkeley Longitudinal Studies, involving residents of Berkeley and Oakland, Calif., Clausen argues that adolescents who exhibit ``planful competence,'' who know generally what they want, assess their abilities realistically and consider the consequences of their choices, are more likely to do well. He offers many details about the organization of the project, which is funded by the National Institute of Health and the MacArthur Foundation, and which he has directed since 1960, and provides several lengthy case studies of individuals who seem planfully competent. There are few revelations, although Clausen observes that among his respondents, occupational shifts tended to occur before age 35, a finding that calls into question the work of Gail Sheehy and others who emphasize mid-career crises. Of interest primarily to experts. (May)