February 22, 2009

As I mentioned before my disciplines are religion and sociology. I have learned some very important concepts and theories that I am already experiencing and using through my internship at Future For Kids (FFK). One that immediately comes to mind is "self-fulfilling prophecy". This is the theory that an individuals behavior is influenced by what others expect of them. Since I mentor at risk children at future for kids I see a lot of negative attitudes the children have about themselves and their future because of the negative influences that their parents, teachers or society bestow on them. They are sometimes expected to fail so they do. That's what we're trying to change!

Hirshi's Social control Theory- this theory states that delinquency can be caused by the lack of social bonds one has. If one has strong family attachments and commitment to positive activities then they are less likely to be involved in delinquent behavior. I see this quite often at FFK as well. A lot of the children rarely see their parents because they both have to work to support the family. They also have few options when it comes to being involved in activities because it's a money issue. An eleven year old boy told me he has already been asked to join a gang. I feel sad and scared for him because it may seem inticing to him because it will give him a sense of belonging.

Attachment Theory- This is the theory that analyzes the history of a child and their primary caregiver. This relationship will determine the kind of adult relationships the child has. This is a very important topic to explore at FFk because helping change the weak bonds that these children have in their home life can potentially change their future. The mentorship program is focused on being a positive figure in these kid's lives and helping them to remember they can achieve greatness if they put their minds to it.

Norms- norms a rule or standard by which something is judged and on that basis approved or disapproved. Norms are obviously apparent in every facet if life but it is interesting to see the differences in children who are in the same age group but grow up differently in different neighborhoods. For many children between age 8 and 12 the routine is pretty standard. After school probably a snack, then homework or sports. For some of the children I'm in contact with they don't have parental guidance after school so their norms are somewhat different. They see older kids or siblings that give them the idea that homework is "nerdy" so they develop the idea that it's negative to be involved in school, unfortunately. Please let me know if you have any comments on what I have said or if you have any suggestions on how to help change and better the future for these kids.