Role Transitions : Explorations and Explanations : Springer : 9781461296768 : 1461296765 : 12 Dec 2012 : The concept of role transition refers to a wide range of experiences found in life: job change, unemployment, divorce, entering or leaving prison, retirement, immi­ gration, "Gastarbeiten," becoming a parent, and so on. Such transitions often produce strain and hence a variety of problems for the transiting individual, occu­ pants of complementary social positions, and other members of one's social group and community. In spite of the diversity of role transitions that occur, however, it is important also to realize that many basic psychological processes can be discerned in ostensibly different instances. Research on role transitions has been dispersed across many different subdisci­ of the social sciences; the problem can be investigated from several points of plines view and levels of analysis. As modern societies become ever more complex, role transitions can be expected to incr