Parenting and Role Models and Youth Violence
Youth violence refers to the deliberate use of physical power or force to harm or threaten other people by adolescents between the ages of 10 and 24 (Birhman et al., 2021). Research shows that physical assault was the top nonfatal violence-based injury among children between the ages of 10 and 14 in 2007 (Hurd, Zimmerman & Reischl, 2011). In the United States, youth violence has become extremely rampant, especially among adolescents. Brookmeyer, Fanti, & Henrich (2006) find that the violent crime frequency increases in the teenage years, with 27% of violent crimes committed by adolescents below the age of 18. Before school, adolescents have their first encounter with their parents. They show tendencies to emulate their parents more. For instance, if a child grows up in a violent domestic environment, they are likely to pick up some of these behaviors and manifest them in their other social environments, such as school. Parent engagement in school, like attending a child’s school programs, has been connected to beneficial student outcomes, improved academic achievement, and enhanced youth behavior (Brookmeyer, Fanti & Henrich, 2006). This means that when a parent fails at this responsibility, the child focuses on other role models that may shape them either negatively or positively.
Theoretical Understanding
According to the social cognitive school of thought, people are likely to show behaviors and attitudes that are learned unintentionally and intentionally via the influence of an example (Hurd et al., 2011). Hurd, Zimmerman, & Reischl (2011) add that youth learn both negative and positive behaviors and attitudes from the role models available in their environment. Often, youth identify the role models that they consider worthy of imitation. A role model refers to a person that other people perceive as worthy of emulating. Growing up, children are mostly surrounded by their parents. Later, with the increased use of social media and technological advancement that has increased internet use, the youth are exposed to more role models other than their parents or guardians. The way the role models behave has a tendency to influence the lives of the youth. Therefore, social cognitive theory believes that the behaviors of role models are an important determinant of the behaviors and attitudes of the youth.
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Causes of Violent Behavior among the Youth
Birhman, Vasudev, & Birhman (2021) identified several factors that influence violent behavior and attitude among the youth. Among the factors include family influences. They argue that family environment and parental behavior are key aspects in the development of behavior in adolescents. When parents offer poor supervision and monitoring of their children or use physical or harsh punishment to discipline their children, the likelihood of the children emulating violent behavior increases.
Adolescents can also learn violent behavior from their siblings as their role models. Social learning theory posits that younger siblings in a family tend to emulate the behavior of their older siblings in the process of social learning (Griffiths, 2017). They do this through observation and then modify their attitude and behavior to the extent of the behavior they observe. This means that a child can observe their older siblings’ criminal attitudes and behavior, learn from them, and emulate them. They emulate their siblings, especially when they realize that their criminal siblings’ behavior leads to the attainment of a goal they desire, such as gaining friends’ popularity.
Risk Factors
The first ten years of a child are very crucial for human development. According to Birhman, Vasudev, & Birhman (2021), babies develop an attachment to their parents or even other adults who show them love and start becoming aware that they are separate human beings. When they reach toddler age, they start talking and exploring their environment while they extend their social and emotional bonds to other people aside from their parents. Accordingly, the school provides another platform for them to continue intellectual and social development. Schoolchildren begin to be important to them but not as important as family members. They then gain significant problem-solving, social, and reasoning skills. Notably, this is considered a normal development of a child.
However, when the child is exposed to violence, it disrupts their normal development affecting their emotional, physical, and mental health (Birhman, Vasudev, & Birhman, 2021). This may explain the idea that youth violence is the manifestation of the child’s emotional, physical, or mental instability which they are meant to get from their family and school. A child who has lived in a violent domestic environment may have nightmares and regress to childhood behaviors such as bed-wetting, baby-talk, or licking of fingers. They may also be afraid of being alone or sleeping alone (Birhman, Vasudev, & Birhman, 2021). As they grow, the child may find it difficult to trust people or form trusting relationships and may be easily irritated, depressed, anxious, frightened, and aggressive. According to Birhman, Vasudev, & Birhman (2021), as they comprehend that violence is intentional, they may find themselves thinking of how they could prevent it.
Conclusion
Besides understanding the risk factors, it all stems from the family environment, especially parenthood. This is because home is the first place children experience, support, love, and learn certain characters and behaviors, as structural functionalism theorists contend (Griffiths, 2017). Parents need to develop loving relationships and appropriate control with their children and ensure that they support and engage in their programs even in school to ensure that the school environment shapes them effectively (Goering & Mrug, 2021). They can also control and guide them on the use of social media.
References
Birhman, H. S., Vasudev, K., & Birhman, A. S. (2021). A Literature Review: Strategies on Youth Violence. International Journal of Recent Advances in Multidisciplinary Topics, 2(6), 225-237.
Brookmeyer, K. A., Fanti, K. A., & Henrich, C. C. (2006). Schools, parents, and youth violence: A multilevel, ecological analysis. Journal of clinical child and adolescent psychology, 35(4), 504-514.
Goering, M., & Mrug, S. (2021). Empathy as a mediator of the relationship between authoritative parenting and delinquent behavior in adolescence. Journal of youth and adolescence, 50(7), 1308-1318.
Griffiths, H. et al (2017). Introduction to Sociology 2e. Texas: OpenStax; Rice Univesity.
Hurd, N. M., Zimmerman, M. A., & Reischl, T. M. (2011). Role model behavior and youth violence: A study of positive and negative effects. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 31(2), 323-354.
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Question 
You will be required to submit two research papers. Written Assignment 1 will be due at the end of Unit 4 and Written Assignment 2 will be due at the end of Unit 7. Each paper will allow you to broaden your understanding of a particular sociological concept, idea, or personal experience.
Parenting and Role Models and Youth Violence
This written assignment should be 2-3 pages of content in length and include 3 outside sources (in addition to your text). There should be at least 2 full pages and material on the 3rd page to meet the minimum. However, you are encouraged to go beyond the length requirements. It is also important that at least two of these references be a scholarly journal article (peer-reviewed). Please use the Resources link to find great resources and additional links to references. Please don’t forget the Post virtual library.