Walden University Children Social Work Discussion

I’m working on a psychology discussion question and need a sample draft to help me learn.

Respond to two of your colleague’s postings in one or more of the following ways:

• Ask a probing question.
• Share an insight gained from having read your colleague’s posting.
• Offer and support an opinion.
• Make a suggestion.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.
• Be sure to use reference when responding.

DB1—Shandra

The culture I have selected to discuss is gun culture. The culture of owning guns in the US has been long the US history even though it was not legalized. Like some other communities around the world keep machetes for their safety, a gun is a safety arm in the American culture. In the colonial period, the Americans adopted the culture of self-security or self-militia due to inversion by the regulars that caught them unaware; a loaded gun was a safety precaution. In modern society, people keep guns for their own safety against violence.

Distance parenting or reduced parent monitoring has been a major risk factor in increased violence in adolescents (Copeland-Linde, Lambert & Ialongo, 2010). Youths whom the parents or guardians less monitor are exposed to a high risk of getting involved or witnessing violence. For instance, 39% of the teens who are involved in violence live alone, or they see their parents once or twice a week (Warnick & Kapa, 2019). Parents offer emotional guidance, and the teen will tend to be more aggressive without elders to guide them. Easily reaching the gun at their parents’ wardrobe makes it easier to get involved in violent activities or violent self-protection.

Keeping guns out of reach will significantly reduce the risk exposure of teens to violence. Research shows sixteen percent of the violence the teens are involved in have used guns, with only one percent of the guns having been legally registered; the rest are stolen from their parents (Howard, Budge & McKay, 2010). Therefore, avoiding easy access to guns in the family systems will reduce violence and aggression significantly. Secondly, family support programs can be introduced to help the teens avoid aggressive behaviors and violence (Howard, Budge & McKay, 2010). Warnick and Kapa (2019) found out that teens who have a strong relationship with their parents are less likely to get involved in violence than those who have a bad relationship with their parents. Parents offer protective guidance for teens not to be involved in violence. Therefore, introducing programs in the families where parents sit with their teens to share their experiences will help them to be less aggressive.

References:

Copeland-Linder, N., Lambert, S. F., & Ialongo, N. S. (2010). Community violence, protective factors, and adolescent mental health: A profile analysis. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 39(2), 176-186.

Howard, K. A., Budge, S. L., & McKay, K. M. (2010). Youth exposed to violence: The role of protective factors. Journal of Community Psychology, 38(1), 63-79.

Warnick, B. R., & Kapa, R. (2019). Protecting students from gun violence. Education Next, 19(2).

DB2—Bianca

The influence of culture is a guiding tool in every country on the continent. Cultures are different depending on their origin especially in the United States and with African Americans. African Americans have entirely embraced the American culture, which dictates the virtues and the traditions of the United States in many areas like religion, food, clothing, language, marriage, music, and many others (Zimmermann, 2015). Culture plays a vital role in the increase of violence and aggression among children and adolescent youths since it highly influences young people’s behavior.

Different cultures normally support various categories of violence, the traditional stereotype that men should rule and control and have the right to discipline women physically puts a lot of girls at risk of experiencing sexual abuse from fellow young men, which leads to sexual violence which takes place, and nobody speaks up for help or intervention. Another example is that they view violence as a way of solving conflicts that are accepted, thus increasing violence and aggression among adolescents since they are all fighting to fit in society and be accepted (Lilleston, 2017).

As a clinician, there are many interventions one can offer to adolescents of the African American population at a family level to reduce violence and aggression among the young population. Interventions should be changing their minds on how they view culture in the form of attitudes and beliefs. There should be counseling and advocacy sessions for the families that have teenage kids for the youths and parents to make them understand the cultural differences to reduce violence (Marsalis, 2020). There should be a family and caregivers support program. Counseling will involve the teenager in handling different life stages and the cultural beliefs imposed on them as they grow. Parents should teach their children to embrace their culture with a different attitude to avoid violence. Counseling may also involve parenting education, family, and child support counseling. Advocacy is offered to all the families providing support in solving the causes of violence and aggression about kids and the kids on how to protect and retract from behaviors that may lead them to violence (Marsalis, 2020).

Violence and aggression are common crimes in the USA and the government has no intervention since it cannot change the culture. The USA is among the developed countries that have come up with many programs that could help the violence related to culture, by changing the attitude and total belief of the culture to be right in the minds of the residents in the country, especially teenagers.

References

Darawshy, N. A. S., Gewirtz, A., & Marsalis, S. (2020). Psychological intervention and prevention programs for child and adolescent exposure to community violence: a systematic review. Clinical child and family psychology review, 1-14.

Lilleston, P. S., Goldmann, L., Verma, R. K., & McCleary-Sills, J. (2017). Understanding social norms and violence in childhood: theoretical underpinnings and strategies for intervention. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 22, 122-134.

Zimmermann, K. A. (2015). American Culture: Traditions and customs of the United States. Live Science.