CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Juvenile delinquency is one of the emerging concerns not only in Pakistan, but also across the entire world. According to Saleem (2011), youth in Karachi are largely kept in custody for snatching or stealing mobile phones, robberies and other petty crimes. In rural Sindh, youth is often involved in more serious crimes, including murder, rape, sodomy and tribal clashes. The majority of juvenile delinquents are male engaged in violent and illicit crimes including rape, murder, property crimes and many more. In the era of globalization, it has been indicated that the nature of offenses are becoming more violent (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). Since the widespread of juvenile delinquency has become a social problem, it has become extremely important to study this problem and to evaluate the influence of parenting styles as an underlying cause of this behavior.

Parents play an influential role in molding and shaping the behavior of adolescents. From this perspective, Coste (2015) recognizes the work of Baumrind, a clinical as well as developmental psychologist best known for her work on parenting styles. Baumrind identified three parenting styles based on parental demandingness and responsiveness, which included authoritative parenting, authoritarian parenting, and permissive parenting. Juvenile delinquency is directly linked to the behavior of parents they adopt to treat their children (Coste, 2015). Howeve, et.al (2009) point out that young people’s parents are more frequently blamed for the criminal or delinquent behavior displayed by their children. Some of the courts even penalize parents for the inconsiderate or antisocial conduct of their children.

Parents adolescent disagreement also increases as friends demonstrate a greater impact on one another, new influences on the adolescent that may be in opposition to parents’ values. Social media has also played an increasing role in adolescent and parent disagreement (Social Networking, 2012). While parents never had to worry about the threats of social media in the past, it has become a dangerous place for children. While adolescents strive for their freedoms, social media sites is a challenging subject, to which lead to instruct, as most parents have very little knowledge of social networking sites. All these challenges and conflict notwithstanding, regarding their important life issues, most adolescents still share the same attitude and values as their parents (Neil, Carlson & Donald, 2015).

A thorough understanding of adolescence in society depends on information from various perspectives, including psychology, biology, history, sociology, education and anthropology. Within all of these perspectives, adolescence is viewed as a transitional period between childhood and adulthood, whose cultural purpose is the preparation of children for adult roles (Karson & Wilson, 2004). It is a period of multiple transitions involving education, training, employment and unemployment, as well as transactions from one living circumstances to another.

Furthermore, parents who are over-protecting, over demanding, rejecting or accepting breed adolescents with varying personality characteristics. A child brought up by autocratic parents for instance will become aggressive, intolerant, role oriented, brutal and confrontational on the other hand, adolescents from permissive families are prone to such behavioural hazards like pomposity, vulgarity, impulsive behaviour, insensitivity and lack of moral scruples. While adolescents from democratic homes are receptive, socialize, tolerant, open-minded and respectful (Okwubunka, 1994) as a result these contending conflicts and issues between parents and teens. Papalia, Olds and Feldmanal (2004) stated “just as adolescents feel tension between dependency on their parents and the need to break away, parents often have mixed feeling too. They want their children to be independent, yet they find it hard to let go. Parents have to walk a fine line between giving adolescents enough independence and protecting them from immature lapses in judgement”. These tensions often lead to family conflict and parenting styles can influence its shape and outcome – their work, marital and socioeconomic status – affects their relationship with teenage children.

Similarly the character of family interactions changes during the teenage age. Adolescents and their parents may spend less time than before watching television together, but just as much (and among girls more) in one-on-one conservations. As adolescents grow older, they increasingly see themselves as taking the lead in these discussions, and their feeling about contacts with parents becomes more positive (Larson, Richards, Moneta, Holmbeck & Ducket, 2002). As they gain autonomy and develop more mature family relationship adolescents continue to look to parents for comfort, support and advice. During this process conflict may arise over the pace of adolescents’ growth towards independence. Most of their arguments with parents concern day-to-day matters like chores, school work, dressing, money, late night, dating, drinking, friends, rather than fundamental values.

1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Adolescence makes a rapid change in one’s role within a family. Young children tend to ascertain themselves forcefully, but are unable to demonstrate much influence over family decisions until early adolescent (Grotevant, 1997) when they are increasingly view by parents as equals. The adolescent faces the task of increasing independence while preserving a caring relationship with his or her parents (Rawlins, 1992). When children go through puberty, there is often a significant increase in parent-child conflict and less cohesive familial bond. Arguments often concern minor issues of control, such as curfew, acceptance, clothing and the adolescents’ right to privacy (Steinber, 2001) which adolescents may have previously viewed as issues over which their parents had complete authority. Parenting is a complex task that includes many specific behaviours that work individually and together to influence child’s behaviour. Although specific parenting behaviours such as spanking or reading aloud may influenced child development, looking at any specific behaviour in isolation may be misleading. Specific parenting practices are less important in predicting child well being than in the broad pattern of parenting. The construct of parenting styles is used to capture normal variations in parents’ attempt to control and socialize their children (Baumrind, 1991).

Families are confronted by challenges of continuous adaption and adjustment to parenting of children or adolescence that is commensurate to the demands of contemporary times. The home therefore, as the child’s first environment after birth goes a long way to nurture and modify genetic endowments and behaviours. The child’s behaviour may also be a product of his environment over which he had no control (Mussen, Conger & Kungan, 2001). Hence, parents are demanded to ensure the adolescents protection from avoidable illness, harms, accident, abuse (sexual harassment, drunkenness and unwanted pregnancy. It is further demanded of them a degree of parental control over the child, adequate knowledge of physical, emotional and social needs necessary for behavioural and social adjustment of the adolescents to achieve societal values and responsibilities. With these demands, Nigeria parents needs to readdress their parenting styles and their new orientation in pursuance of money, which has become the ultimate in many families. And also to return to their children the love, care attention and unity that existed before in the family.

From the above existing gaps, this study will investigate the significant relationship between parenting style and the behavioral pattern among adolescents in Abuja Metropolis. It will examine the negative and positive effects of parenting style on behavioral pattern of adolescents. It will assess the causal factors responsible for poor parenting style and the way forward.

1. AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of parenting style on the behavioral pattern among adolescents.

The study will anchor on the following objectives:

1. To examine the negative effects of parenting style on the behavioral pattern among adolescents.
2. To examine the positive effects of parenting style on the behavioral pattern among adolescents.
3. To ascertain the causal factors responsible for the influence of parenting style on the behavioral pattern among adolescents
4. To find out ways of solving the adolescents’ behavior problem.

1. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the negative effects of parenting style on the behavioral pattern among adolescents?
2. What are the positive effects of parenting style on the behavioral pattern among adolescents?
3. What are the causal factors responsible for the influence of parenting style on the behavioral pattern among adolescents?
4. To find out ways of solving the adolescents’ behavior problem?

1. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

H0 there is no significant influence between parenting style and the behavioral pattern among adolescents.

H1 there is significant influence between parenting style and the behavioral pattern among adolescents.

1. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study is on the effect of parenting style on the behavioral pattern among adolescents is very significant especially as this study come at a time where juvenile delinquency is of high rate in the State; and as such the study will reveal the hidden causes and ways of solving it.

Ultimately, it will enable parents to buckle up their parental responsibilities and the policy makers to come up with measures and policies of solving the menace of juvenile delinquency as it becomes very highly rampant among adolescents.

1. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will only focus on the role of parents towards the behavioral pattern of adolescents. It will examine the positive and negative effects of parenting style, the causes and way forward to solving adolescents’ problem behavior.

1. LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

TIME CONSTRAINTS: One the challenges experienced by the researcher is the issue of time; the research will simultaneously engage in departmental activities like seminars and attendance to lectures. But the researcher was able to meet up with the deadline for the submission of the project.

FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS: Every research work needs funding; however lack of adequate funds might affect the speed of the researcher in getting materials for completion of the project.

1. DEFINITION OF TERMS

PARENTING

Is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the intricacies of raising a child and not exclusively for a biological relationship.

STYLES

Is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable. Design, the process of creating something. 

ADOLESCENTS

Is the time between being a child and a mature adult, that is the period of time during which a person grows into an adult, but are emotionally not mature. ... During this period of life, most children go through the physical stages of puberty, which can often begin before a person has reached the age of 13.

BEHAVIOUR

Are the actions and mannerisms made by individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in conjunction with themselves or their environment, which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as the (inanimate) physical...

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