Who to blame ?
(Research about how positive modeling and family conditions
shapes a child's identity)
Anning Li
English 201
Professor Matyakubavo
4/28/2015
Children are the
future of our nation. Majority of the population is getting older and retiring,
this results in young people being responsible for keeping our society
functioning. With the great burden on children, they must be trained properly
to ensure the flourish future. What
exactly shape the new generation? The family factors has direct relation with a
child’s potential development since they mold them through everyday activities.
Family factors decided who the child is going to be. Children are born naive
and honest,they can not see the ambiguity of things happening. For the most of
the time, children will imitate or follow what they see and experience.
However, kids are fast learner and easy adopter, it is necessary to provide
them positive model and a stable family conditions early in childhood in order
to prevent juvenile delinquency.
Providing
toddlers and teenagers a positive model is crucial because they can not
distinguish whether some thing is good or bad. Many parents often neglected
that their own behaviors is a reflect mirror to their child. Parent think their
child will only be educated in school. The fact is that parent’s behavior also
have great impact on a child. Growing up in a family where parents are
alcoholic, thief, robber or drug dealer, the child has higher chances to act
the same way. According to a popular debate of nature VS nurture, “ when a
identical twins are raised in two environments, their behaviors will be
different”(Sarah, M.S,2012). The debate explicitly means that nurture is more
important than nature when it comes to the behavior of child. while the nature
of child may reveal some physical traits of their parent, nurture is the key
component that decides the child’s identity. When two identical twins are
exposed to different environment, their genetic inherent plays a small role
here. The debate proves that it is extremely important to nurture children
under positive modeling, and parent’s
behaviors should lead by example.
Even though it is
crucial to provide positive example for the well development of child, many
parent still misbehave. The incarceration of parent causes childhood
delinquency and adolescent offense. Recent study shows “the U.S incarceration
rate is in parallel with the number of child who experienced parental
incarceration” (Will, Whalen and Loper 2014 p.190). It reveals that many
fathers and mothers got arrest. The fact is important to know because it has
direct relationship with second generation offender. The term second generation
offender is used when the offender’s parent were involved in criminal justice
system. Research shows child who has incarcerated parent are more likely to
have developmental problems such as anti-social behaviors. They mentions that “The
experience of parental incarceration places children at risk for later being
incarcerated themselves”(Will, Whalen and loper 2014 p.193). All the
presumption were proven by theories. Will, Whalen and Loper list of 3 main
problems will occur within parental incarceration families, which are: lack of
stability within family, lack of supervision of child and development of
insecure attachment style. Children most likely join delinquent activities when
they are not supervised. In short, kids who grow up without supervision of
parent are more likely to commit and become second generation offender.
While the
imprison of parent influences child, the separation and absence of parent are
worst, it puts child’s life in risk of mortality. When one’s life is in danger,
the human nature urged them to survive by any means included kill others. Based on New York Times (2015), a man named
Davis, was a juvenile murderer, sentenced for a life term in jail without
parole. It means Davis will never have chance to see the outside world again.
All of his delinquency was forced by his childhood deprivation. Davis described
that he lived in a family with careless mother and a absent father. He mentions
how he survive by picking cans and pumped gas for tips and shoplift. Until one
day he fell in gangster Disciples, he felt like home. he say “I loved them, they protected me, they were my
family,”(ERIK ECKHOLM 2015). In fact, Davis was just a normal kid who seek
for a safe harbor. He was not
born a bad apple, he was forced to do something in order to survive. Perhaps
his parent were present when he was child, and provided a better condition for
him. He may not join the gang and become a murder. Davids suggests the failure of his
family makes him suffer from both emotional and physical pain. Davis, Instead
of become a child at an age who should watch TV cartoon at home, stayed at
maximum security jail for 23 hour a day. Who is going to take responsibility
for his misbehave? Davis’ story tells us an incomplete family structure really
make a mess within a child’s life. parents should never allow their
relationship to have impact on child because they are vulnerably physically and
mentally.
While a
broken home destroyed a childhood, child who live in a domestic violence family
would also develop deviant behaviors. The true victim of domestic violence is
their children. Although children are previously labeled as silent witness of
domestic violent, however this opinion has been topple off by more current
qualitative research. Lemmey, malecha, and Mcfarlane (2001) conduct a
descriptive research. They discovered that many children who observe violent
act against their mothers have greater behavioral problem than children who do
not observe such violent. The research argues domestic violence have worst
affect on child’s behavior among all kind of violence because the person use
violent is the one who provides protection for them, and the effects was worst
for girls. As result of domestic violence, there are two different types of
effect may form from witnessing it. One is internalizing, and the other is
externalizing (Lemmey, malecha, and Mcfarlane 2001). The internalizing often
involves in child’s emotional waves while externalizing causes delinquency and
aggression. Both internalizing and externalizing behavior expose child to a
risky future.
Even though we know parental behavior shape a child, it is
still difficult to figure out what exactly lead to delinquency because many
thing can be involved. In the modern society, where social hierarchy are
distinct, people who have more power stand above others. It is significant,
children who born in lower class and lack of material resources often surround
by negative environment. Studies
have shown the “majority of juvenile offenders come from families living in
poverty, the highest percent being people of color or minority groups”(Ray E.
Bilderaya 2015). They are isolated in small community with limited
social mobility. The neighborhood are most likely in same social class, and
they have little interact with higher ranked people as well. When one’s social
mobility are constrained, there are little or not progression in their life.
Family
economic condition would also affect the quality of a childhood. David, Nicola,
and john(2004) observed 1,265 children ( 635 males, 630 females), found that
the child who live under poor economic condition or disadvantages have more
involvement in crime later. This argument was supported by strain theory (Merton 1957),
it explains the social hierarchy within our society may pressure people to
commit crime. The theory shows “Individuals in disadvantaged groups act in ways
that predispose them to engage in innovative, but deviant acts to redress these
strains(David, Nicola, John 2004 P.956).” In conclusion, that the
social-economic deprivation causes stress among young people. Based on the
strain theory, young people with poor family may think they are worthless and
inferior as compare to rich family child. Often times, those strains
predisposed them to delinquency. they act in deviant ways in order to reduce
the stress.
Many variety
forms of factors that affects childhood development. But what can be done to
prevent them from later delinquency? It is not doubt juvenile
violence has become a concern in the criminal justice field and there is
a vital need for rehabilitation programs for juvenile offenders. However,
rehabilitation programs are obviously insufficient for deviant behaviors. Ray E. Bilderaya (2005) argues that as
many as 69 % of juvenile delinquent parolees are rearrested for serious
crimes within six years of their release. It shows that delinquency have
further impact within one’s life, and It is embedded in their mind. It be must be done by two ways, one is remove it’s cause, and
second is control it’s effect. The cause of delinquency forms depend on many
variables. It can be defined in three main categories: Demographic, increased
population of juvenile and environmental factors.
However, it is hard
for anyone to control those three causes. One may argues, child who grown up in
bad neighbor could also success in life. Malcolm X, who, was black minority,
grown up in worst neighborhood, live without father, yet he become a great
civil leader. It must be admit that Malcolm X was good counter claim for the
argument. Nonetheless, it is still not strong enough. Malcolm X was growing up
around drug dealer, and the environment did have impact on him. He was
sentenced at a young age because the absence of his father, and lack of
supervision. Moreover, Malcolm ‘s case strengthen the claim that positive
modeling would enhance one’s life. He learns knowledge in jail, and in jail he
discover the spirit of Elijah
Muhammad. Malcolm X educated him self, and yet, if not with the help of Elijah,
he could not make it.
The development of child has
always been the concern of all parent, they are willing to spend huge amount
investment on them. But only material support is not enough, many of them need
to spend more time on child and provide them stable family with positive
environment because it is what truly decided the future of child. Ray E.
Bilderaya (2005) suggests that “Children need to be taught....early
in order to live... productive life. This includes discipline with
consistency. A parent must be willing to put .....produce a non-delinquent
child.” In short, in order to have non-delinquent child, parent must learn to
behave in front of their child, and provided them a good learning environment
earlier in childhood.
Reference
ERIK ECKHOLM APRIL 10, 2015 A
Murderer at 14, Then a Lifer, Now a Man Pondering a Future
Fergusson, D., Swain-Campbell, N.,
& Horwood, J. (2004). How does childhood economic disadvantage lead to
crime?. Journal Of Child Psychology &
Psychiatry, 45(5), 956-966.
Lemme,
D., malecha, A., Mcfarlane, J., Wilson, P., Watson, K., Gist, J.H., &
Schultz, P. (2001). Severity of violence against women correlates with
behavioral problems in their children. (cover story). Pediatric nursing,
27g(3), 265-270
Ray E.
Bilderaya 1/27/2015 Juvenile delinquency:Cause and Effect
Will , J. L, Whalen, M. L, & Loper, A. B.
(2014). From one generation to the next: Childhood experiences of antisocial
behavior and parental incarceration among adult inmates. Journal of offender
rehabilitation, 53(3), 190-210.
