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Family Instability And Juvenile Delinquency
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CHAPTER ONE
1.1INTRODUCTION
Many sociologists regard the family as
the cornerstone of society. It forms the basic unit of social
organization and it is difficult to imagine how society could function
without it. Although the composition of the family varies, for example
in many societies two or more wives are regarded as the ideal
arrangement, such difference can be seen as minor variations.
In
general, therefore, the family has been seen as a universal social
institution, as an inevitable part of human society. On the whole it has
been regarded as functional both for the individual and society as a
whole (Haralambos and Heald 1984).
The study of the family involves
several theories, but the functionalist and conflict theories are the
two most fundamental. The functionalists are interested in the functions
that are performed by the family. The family according to the
functionalist view, is the most stable social institution and is
therefore ideal for the performance of the following functions:
(i)
The family, through the process of socialization, nurtures and prepares
children to be productive members of society. (ii) It equips them with
the cultural values and skills necessary for the society to survive
continuously. (iii) Family members receive their basic needs, such as
emotional and physical care, from their families. In most societies,
there are groups or organisations that take up the responsibility of
caring for or protecting the members of the society under certain
circumstances. The family, however, seems to be the most appropriate of
them all, especially regarding daily living in an impersonal environment
caused by rapid changes (Magill, and Hector, 2000 ed).
From the
foregoing, the family is supposed and expected to be an arena of love,
peace, harmony, and tranquility, where members will naturally find a
haven of rest after a tension soaked and stressful working day. It is
expected to be the protector and guardian of its members from external
aggression among other roles. However, research and observation show
that the family has become another place of tension, multifarious
problems and a danger Zone (Ekiran 2004)
1.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Early
attempts to explain delinquency centred on biological and psychological
factors, seeking to explain crime and delinquency in terms of some
deficiency or imbalance within the individual who engaged in the
behaviour. Noting that criminal and delinquent behaviour patterns were
found under certain circumstances and in certain areas more frequently
than in others, sociologists began to look at the social milieu in which
the acts took place (Sanders 1996)
The family represents the
primary agent for the socialization of children. The family is the first
social group a child encounters and is the group with which most
children have their most enduring relationships. The family gives a
child his or her principal identity and, of course, even his or her
name. The family teaches social roles, moral standards, and society’s
laws, and it disciplines children who fail to comply with those norms
and values. The family either provides for or neglects children’s
emotional, intellectual, and social needs; the neglect of these basic
needs can profoundly affect the shaping of a child’s values and
attitudes (Bartollas, 1990). One of the apparent voids that exist in the
life of a child who is delinquency prone is pronounced supportive and
affectional needs that go largely unmet. According to Berman (1989), if
the mother is ineffective, indifferent or cruel, the child sees her as
one who rejects his needs and responds to her as the one who hates him.
Her own dependency needs may be such that she finds the infants needs
intolerable. This type of mother most often is helpless, confused,
disorganized and dependent. She feels there is no one to satisfy her
dependency needs and therefore feels unable to care for the needs of her
children. The father also poses a serious problem to the child, since
he may either ignore the child or belittle him and be harsh or cruel.
This father is devoid of or lacking in his capacity to give love or
tender interest to the family.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The family as a universal social institution exists in all human society. It forms the basis without which no society can survive. It is from here the individual picks up a “self†through the process of socialization. Various factors have been associated with delinquency, but the most important is the quality of relationship between parents and children. Some observers of social life have argued that the family no longer functions as a useful social unit.The method employed for the s ... Continue reading---
