Theories of Childhood ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Childhood is generally considered to be either a natural biological stage of development or a modern idea or invention. Theories of childhood are concerned with what a child is, the nature of childhood, the purpose or function of childhood, and how the notion of the child or childhood is used in society. The concept of childhood, like any invention, was forged from a potent relationship between ideas and technologies within a frame of social, political, and economic needs. Theories of childhood as a concept are often highly colored or emotive, that is to say, they deal with stark contrasts revealing the development over time of the psychological or emotional significance of childhood as viewed from the state of adulthood. Up until the 1990s, theories of childhood tended to be determined in a "top-down" approach which some have described as "imperialistic."
Key Assignment UNIT 1 Assignment 1: Childhood (a) Explain what is meant by the term –‘child-centred society’ (Item A, line 1) A ‘child-centred society’ is the idea that children come first in society and are put first, especially by their parents. Also, in general, society accepts that children are the main factors. Children are also see as parents main priority financially and practically. (b) Suggest two examples of ways in which the distinction between childhood and adulthood is ‘becoming blurred’. The distinction between childhood and adulthood is ‘becoming blurred’ due to the ‘growing similarity of adult and children’s clothing and even to cases of children committing ‘adult’ crimes such as murder.’ The fact that adult and children’s clothing has great similarities conveys that children can no longer remain children and are merging into adulthood a lot sooner than their time, as a result of the fact they are not able to dress like children and dress their ages.
During the 16th, 17th, and 18th century, there were many changes and continuities in how adults viewed children. Some saw them to be evil, others as precious angels. These views affected the way children were able to live their lives. The adult views of children changed the lives of their children through different practices and techniques of nursing, discipline, and clothing in the 16th, 17th, and 18th century. Discipline on children changed as the view of children changed.
In order to understand the societal view of youth one must define the problem, in post-modern subcultural studies the problem refers to: crime, unemployment, style, attitude and educational underachievement. Britain along with other societies has witnessed a rise of the ‘underclass’, an emergence of a new working class criminal, anti-work, anti-social cultures of welfare dependency (MacDonald, 1997). The youth often get grouped into one big subculture but changing times and styles has caused various ambiguities surrounding youth culture. In this essay I will discuss whether working class backgrounds are the cause for negative youth behaviour referring to a study undertaken in East London on Black males and to research done in Newcastle on youth nightlife. ‘Street corner society’ has a long history as a key component of working class youth leisure (Shildrick and MacDonald, 2006).
Asses’ sociological explanations of changes in the status of childhood Childhood is a socially defined age status up to the age of 19 years old. It is a state which is both socially and biologically constructed and where a person has not reached adult status yet. There are major differences in how childhood is defined, both historically and between cultures. Western society’s today define children as vulnerable and segregate them from the adult world and therefore childhood is seen as a special and privileged time. In addition, in the past and in some countries today children such as Africa and India the children are apart of adult society which shows that childhood is social construction.
In addition to this, another state policy was the Factory Act which saw the removal of young children from work, strict hours placed upon adolescents and compulsory education put into place. This effected society by presenting and supporting the idea of separateness and children’s need of education. Furthermore, Phillips, a new Right theorist, argues that children are vulnerable and in need of protection. They are too immature to make decisions about their lives, particularly as they have become increasingly important over the past 50 years. Increases in eating disorders and suicide show this.
IS CHILDHOOD ‘SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED’? Most sociologists argue that the idea of childhood is not something natural and given How we treat children – how we expect them to look, behave and develop – is decided by the kind of society you live in. This is what ‘socially constructed’ means. • Different societies have treated children very differently • Different historical periods have varied a lot in the way children are regarded and treated. HOW WE ‘CONSTRUCT’ CHILDHOOD TODAY (western societies).
The understanding of children is that they are not the same everywhere and they are different from adults, how they are different, and the expectations placed on them differ depending on the society they live in. Childhood has been shaped by culture and society to have a specific meaning .As a result The way children are brought up, the length of time child hood should last, and the behaviour considered to be appropriate for children are examples of aspects of childhood that are socially constructed. Cross-cultural evidence supports the view that childhood is a social construct. If it were a natural state it would be found in all societies. This also relates to how children are seen to be young adults.
TITLE: A REFLECTION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD AND YOUTH CARE PROFESSION. ‘’The child in need of care is not a new phenomenon”, (K Beukes & B Gannon 1996). The problem of what to do with underprivileged children has existed throughout history. The history of Child and Youth Care dates back in the days in the days when children were oppressed by adults and were seen as “evil beings”. Many changes has taken place throughout the centuries on how children are seen.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY THE FAMIL DISORGANISATION ISSUE INTRODUCTION Juvenile delinquency is one of the serious problems of deviation which the children of almost all the modern societies of the world are facing. There may be many social and psychological factors responsible for the drift in child’s conforming behaviour to delinquents. CAUSES FOR JUVENILE DELINQUENCY Broken home, Poverty, Illiteracy, Low socio- economic status, Behavioural problems, Peer groups, Negative impact of media. DEFINITION According to THE JUVENILE JUSTICE (CARE AND PROTECTION OF CHILDREN) ACT, 2000 "juvenile" or "child" means a person who has not completed eighteenth year of age; "juvenile in conflict with law" means a juvenile who is alleged to have committed an offence Reckless (1956) defines the term as “juvenile delinquents applies to the violation of criminal code or pursuit of certain pattern of behaviour disapproved for children and young adolescents” THEORIES SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY PRIMING EFFECTS THEORY STRAIN THEORY ANOMIE THEORY FAMILY DISORGANISATION Family disorganisation is the term includes any disorganisation in the family such as # Low socio economic status of the family, # Broken home, # Adultery, # Ill parental discipline etc. CONTINUES…..