Interview and Research Project Assignment

Community Violence and the Disempowerment of High School Latino Adolescents
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IntroductionA human develops systematically, which means that every event that happens in their life will determine the consequent outlook of their life. Most developmental psychologists agree that events in early childhood are crucial in later development. Childhood through Adolescence is a critical developmental stage where personalities are formed. This character becomes the basis for an individual to use for survival in later stages of life. The author of the book “The Risk of Education’ gives a particularly interesting analogy for this. According to him when a child is born, he is equated to a mountaineer preparing to go and climb a mountain. All those around him, especially those who love him will put everything they think he needs in his bag. Later in his excursion, whenever he encounters a challenge, the mountaineer will look inside his bag to discover what was placed inside that can be used to solve the problem. (Giussani, 2001) This is the same with young people. In their childhood, the adults and their immediate society provide all the necessary things they require for the future. What happens when the circumstance in that society do not provide for the adequate skills needed to survive? In some circumstances, the environment is not only incapable of offering essential support but contributes negatively to the youth’s capability of acquitting the information independently.

(Giussani, 2001)
In his theory of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud demonstrated the relevance of events that occur in early life to an individual. Freud classified the human mind into three divisions which include the conscious, the subconscious and the unconscious. (Freud, 1952) Of these, he laid a particular interest the unconscious part of the brain. This section stores all the information that an individual has actively suppressed out of fear of handling them. This may be painful events that happened in childhood which the person does not wish to acknowledge. Freud continued to demonstrate the fact that these developments, even though suppressed continue to influence the behaviors of in individual actively. (Freud, 1952)
Even through most of Freud’s theories are challenged or even rejected today, his discoveries remain critical in understanding the nature of human behaviors. Out of these, people will either engage in sublimations which assist in expressing the camouflaged internal energy or become paralyzed by the internal pressure. Effectively, it is easy to understand two things. The events that happen in childhood through adolescence will remain to be part of the individual’s personality throughout their life. Due to this challenge, either people will find a constructive sublimation as an outlet for this pressure, or they will exhibit socially awkward characteristics due to the pressure. The path that an individual takes will lead to either two of the adverse results. For those who take progressive activities, the experience may give rise to unique advantages that help them accomplish greater success in life. (Mallman, 2015) However, in most cases, it is not easy for people who undergo difficult circumstances in childhood to establish a positive outlook towards life.
Among the most difficult challenges that young people are forced to endure is violence in the family and the immediate community. Young people who grow up in violent communities are subjected to constant fright. Since the human body is wired to produce a particular cycle of chemical reactions when subjected to a threat to help an individual prepare for defense, constant exposure to threats causes a persistent conflict between the mind and natural body reactions. This pressure is likely to cause long-term trauma which reduces an individual’s capability to function psychosocially. In addition to this, constant state of apprehension increases aggressiveness that is likely to produce recurrent generational violence. Apart from these psychological influences, violence in the community has legal, financial and relationship ramifications for the participants who are the youth’s parents and community. These effects will be in one way or another trickle down to influence individual development. This paper analyses the prevalence of violence in US Latino communities and its ramifications on the adolescents.
Background
Community violence is any form of aggressive behavior in the community. This aggression may be experienced by a young person through a direct or indirect threat leveled by a stranger in the street. It can also result from closer relationships in the family and as bullying in learning institutions. (“Community Violence: Effects on Children and Teens – PTSD: National Center for PTSD”, 2016) Domestic violence is an issue of cross-cultural concern. In the US the case seems to be aggravated in among the Latino community. Statistical research shows that about a third of Latino women experience domestic violence. Of course, domestic violence has a wider scope that violence against women and therefore it is expected that real statistic on domestic violence is higher. The violence in these communities is associated with acculturation challenges. Hispanic individuals born in the US are more likely to be violent that those born outside the US. Similarly, the younger the person is during entry into the US, the higher their likelihood of violence. Minorities such as Latinos are living in a new cultural setting. They are forced to learn a new language, develop new social skills and probably entirely new behavioral tendencies. This in itself is a form of violence to the development of an individual. It causes huge internal conflict and a loss of sense of identity. This loss of identity makes them strangers to the new culture and their parents. Since parents are slower in acculturations as they are more attached to their original culture, they are unable to accompany their children adequately in their submersion into the new culture. The mainstream society is unequipped to handle the challenges of the newcomers since it does not know the experience of the other. This leaves the teenager in a kind of no man’s land. Besides, Latino communities are likely to inhabit areas that are more prone to violence. According to the US Department of Veteran Affairs, young people who are from non-white poor communities tend to live in overly crowded areas and are therefore more likely to witness aggression that the rest of the society. In these areas, criminal and gang activities in such activities as drug trafficking is common. Such events meant that the communities are home to both inter-gang conflict and conflict between criminals and law enforcement officers. In most cases, non-offenders are frequently caught up in the violence in one way or another. Also, violence in a great percentage of Latino immigrants is likely to go unreported due to fear of deportation. This leads to continued aggression over time.
Three-quarters of children in high-violence urban areas report to having experienced either direct or indirect violence in the community. This means that these young people have either experienced the violence first hand or seen it expressed to another individual. (“Community Violence: Effects on Children and Teens – PTSD: National Center for PTSD”, 2016) Violent actions involved include physical abuse, sexual assault, and psychological violence through bullying and threatening. In the short run, the youth may have to encounter medical problems. However, the serious challenges are the long-term psychosocial problems that diminish their ability to perform as much as other teenagers in mainstream society.
One of the greatest repercussions of community violence amongst the youth is a low self-perception. How we view ourselves determines how we react to the challenges that assail us. (Burdett Schiavone, 2009) When confronted by various challenges, an individual will cave down to the pressure, act passively by building a wall or react actively to solve the challenges. (Eitle & Turner, 2002) All these reactions will depend on an individual’s will and perception of their capability. In violence communities, there are multiple challenges that influence the young people’s empowerment. One of these reasons is that community violence impresses on the young people who feel that they are responsible for the events that take place. For example, in domestic violence, many children may feel that they are the cause of the parents’ constant aggression against each other. (Burdett Schiavone, 2009) This means that the youth grow up with a feeling of worthlessness that translates into less will to empower oneself. Such young people are likely to be less willing any beneficial activity and thus will hence perform poorer in academic, sports and other activities. These events provide the best opportunity for social mobility. In the case where this is annulled, the children develop into dysfunctional adults and therefore the cycle of misery repeats itself across generations.
There are factors that lead to disempowerment among these youth. When the violence involves the adolescents’ parents, there are legal and financial consequences. If a parent is arrested, their financial input in the family is eliminated. This means that the family is unable to meet most of its needs. The adolescents in this family may no longer be able to access education and recreation facilities that could be accessed before. (McGill et al., 2014) This means that they are unable to develop along peers in the community. Besides, the young people may have to enlist for part time job opportunities to participate in taking care of family responsibilities. This reduces the time available for education and therefore leads to poor performance. The remaining parent in the family will have to do more work to sustain the family. This means that they have more time to communicate effectively with the children or to follow up with the teachers on the performance of these adolescents. The ability of a parent to inquire about the performance of their child helps a lot in determining the orientation of the child educational interests. First of all, this parental concern gives the child a sense of responsibility and therefore they are bound to work hard. On the other hand, the interest also puts emphasis on the importance of education to the young person. For this reason, such communities where parents have to work many shifts and have less time to dedicate on the educational progress will result in greater numbers of underperforming youths.
Community violence amongst closer family members also contributes significantly to post-traumatic stress disorder. Stress has been shown to reduce concentration, rational thinking and even natural immunity. Adolescents from violent communities will express anxiety and little resilience towards stressful situations. They will react aggressively to slight provocation, isolate themselves from others and attempt suicide. The adolescents will have lesser ability to process what is taught in school or even participate in self-studies. The constant self-consciousness prevents them from trying highly rewarding ventures. The reduction in natural immunity which may result from injuries attained in the violence will disable them from participation in some activities such as sport and also cause increased absenteeism from school. (McGill et al., 2014) Such young people are likely to have anger and resentment towards their families and the external community that may be attributed to their challenges.
Lastly, community violence affects the external capability of the adolescent to participate in empowering activities. In high-violence areas, education facilities are frequently vandalized. This means that there is the lack of vital resources. The school systems depend heavily on public support. In the documentary ‘The Tale of Two Schools,’ two administrators demonstrate the importance of community support in providing quality education. Since most of Latinos live in low-income neighborhoods, the families are unable to contribute to the financial well-being of schools. The schools fail to invest in recent technology, music, art, sports and even qualified staff. Even with the available resources, accessibility is a big challenge. Security concerns mean that students cannot go to the library in the evening and sporting activities such as jogging may not be extended past a particular time. Peer pressure contributes significantly to poor educational standards to the ridiculing of school going adolescents.
Discussion
Research by Torres and Wong demonstrated that the best chance that individual had at achieving upward social mobility was the educational advancement. The greatest challenge that is posed by community violence is, therefore, its interference with education. By disabling educational progression, the violence disempowers the youth in multiple ways. (Torres & Wong, 2013) Primarily, this disparity reduces their ability develop skills required to advance life. Dismal academic performance subjects Latino communities to low-income jobs. The low-income jobs mean that the families cannot afford suitable housing and return to live in the high-violence areas, cannot afford proper healthcare and cannot afford a good education for their children. This replicates their problems to the next generations.
Inadequate education also means that the communities will be less informed about their rights and the advantages attached to such rights. Historically, the youths, especially in minority groups, have participated dismally in such activities as the electoral process. The uneducated adolescents cannot, therefore, participate effectively in ventures that are likely to enhance the life of minorities in future generations. These segments are easily influenced and therefore are often prey to malicious advocacy groups that seek to push for disastrous policies. It is, therefore, essential that these youth are empowered to achieve unitary development in the society.
To influence these communities positively, one must be able to communicate effectively with them. One of the reasons for the current resistance amongst the adolescents towards the available mechanisms is the prejudice within the American communities. Colored populations are constantly associated with violence and crime. These communities are more likely to get arrested and incarcerated. This makes the adolescents react to reality from a defensive perspective. Instead of concentrating on developing skills for the future, the youth are preoccupied in survival tactics to escape current harsh realities. A person who wishes to move these adolescents must understand this challenge. Personal development derives substantially from an individual’s needs, expectations and rewards. If the young people expect to be treated violently, they will internalize and externalize this violence. (Eitle & Turner, 2002) If the adolescents do not expect any reward will materialize from efforts put in to succeed, they are likely to neglect any efforts towards empowerment.
In the research by Mallman, a peculiar association between difficult childhood and future excellence is established. This study identifies that in middle-income communities, parents have to work exceptionally hard to ensure that their children do not suffer the same fate. As a result, children are exposed to this struggle from an early age and therefore able to assimilate it from the start. (Mallman, 2015) In older years when the individuals have to make substantial decisions, they have acquired considerable independence and zeal to succeed. This makes less susceptible to social pressure and more success oriented. Proper counseling can, therefore, become an instrument that ensures adolescent in violent regions perceive this as an advantage that prepares them to future struggles rather than a debilitating event. Individuals involved in the formation of young people in high-violence areas need to communicate to the youth the importance of taking control of their lives. There is a need to present the immense opportunities available for exploitation if the adolescent concentrates on gainful tendencies. Since natural tendency is to work towards upward mobility, when the adolescents are opened up to these opportunities, they are more likely to gravitate toward empowering activities.
This process begins with developing optimism. For the adolescents to develop enough momentum to work at a personal level, they require someone to establish the fact that there is something good in them. Psychological studies have demonstrated that, by encouraging individuals to focus on positive events in their life, it is possible to reduce the effects of negative events in their life. The dialogue with the marriage and family counselor emphasized this fact. The most important way to educate the youth is to point out something positive in their lives and neighborhoods. Within the dense fabric of social injustices in their communities, the goods things are usually obscured. Focusing on these events provides something that the young people can build on as a basis for a better future. The mode of delivery of this information is as important as the information in itself. Individual counseling can be difficult on two levels. The first reason is that families in this population segment do not have sufficient resources to enlist a private therapist for a substantial amount of time. Additionally, in most communities where violence is common, emotional expression is considered weak and frowned upon. Adolescents are therefore unwilling to be associated with therapy as it is regarded as a sign of weakness. Even when parents subject them to one, it will be approached with defiance, and therefore it will be unlikely to bear any real results.
An efficient way of empowering the youth should be in a group. A good example of the efficacy of this method is in participation is the electoral process. Previous data showed that young people have participated in voting in disproportionately small numbers. However, this trend began changing in 2008 where a significant portion of the young people did cast their votes. (Lee, 2014) In 2012, this trend took an even more drastic change with young black people participating in higher ratios compared to white youth. This happens especially in areas where mandatory voter and registration education is carried out is schools. (Lee, 2014) It is therefore encouraged that such measures be carried out in high schools to increase participation. Life empowerment on other events is no different. However, even when dealing with the group, the individual must feel sought after and loved.
His implies that empowering the Latino youth should take place in social institutions. This can be challenging since they do not exist in the institutions in isolation. However, in most cases, the disempowerment is cross-cultural. Adolescents in the same neighborhoods with the struggling Latino youth will be having similar challenges and are therefore qualified for similar motivation. To achieve this, the adult who is training these adolescents need to learn the techniques of eliciting a positive mentality amidst such challenges. Among this is constantly pointing out to the advantages available to excellent performance. The youth are likely to be empowered if they feel that someone believes in a possibility for a better future for them. Individuals who are loved are more likely to strive to become better. Individual performance between the mentor and the student is, therefore, essential for better performance.
In addition to this, immersion into co-curricular activities will have numerous advantages to the young people. In one instance, this exposes them to additional avenues that can enhance upward social mobility. Sport offers a great opportunity to get scholarships for higher education or even enroll into professional sporting. Other activities such as music, art, and drama provide a chance to develop skills that can be used professionally in the future. Additionally, they open up an individual to a new reality and expand their horizon. More importantly, these events take the adolescents off the streets and preoccupy their idle time. If the youth do not come into contact with negative influence, they are less likely to fall into the negative habits. It is commonly said that prevention is better than cure! This is an excellent opportunity to prevent the inculcation of wrongful mentality instead of waiting to cure it.
Conclusion
Latinos, who make up the largest of minority communities in the US, are disproportionately located in low-income regions. Residents in these areas are consistently exposed to community violence either subjected domestically or externally y gangs and strangers in the street. This nature of this environment has detrimental effects on the youth’s empowerment. Chiefly, the violence destabilizes the youth’s psychosocial capabilities and therefore reduces their learning capabilities. Educational advancement plays a significant role in individual’s upward social mobility and therefore its curtailment results in generational poverty. Measures must be taken to reduce impacts of community violence amongst the youth in Latino communities. This can be done through local counseling in schools and other social institutions. Counseling should focus on identifying positive characteristics in the community as a basis for possible achievements for the disillusioned adolescents. There should be an emphasis on the creation of facilities in these areas that enhance co-curricular activities in adolescents. This will keep them off the streets reducing negative peer influence. Additionally, the government and relevant authorities must take part in the reduction of violence and improvement of infrastructure in these areas.

References
Burdett Schiavone, D. (2009). The Effects of Exposure to Community Violence on Aspects of Adolescent Identity Development. Journal Of Child And Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 22(2), 99-105. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6171.2009.00178.x
Community Violence: Effects on Children and Teens – PTSD: National Center for PTSD. (2016).Ptsd.va.gov. Retrieved 11 October 2016, from http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/types/violence/effects-community-violence-children.asp
Eitle, D. & Turner, R. (2002). Exposure to Community Violence and Young Adult Crime: The Effects of Witnessing Violence, Traumatic Victimization, and Other Stressful Life Events. Journal Of Research In Crime And Delinquency, 39(2), 214-237. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002242780203900204
Freud, S. (1952). A general introduction to psychoanalysis. New York: Washington Square Press.
Giussani, L. (2001). The risk of education. New York: Crossroad Pub. Co.Lee, E. (2014). Enfranchising America’s Youth (1st ed.). Washington, D.C.: Project Vote.
Mallman, M. (2015). Not entirely at home: Upward social mobility and early family life. Journal Of Sociology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1440783315601294
McGill, T., Self-Brown, S., Lai, B., Cowart-Osborne, M., Tiwari, A., LeBlanc, M., & Kelley, M. (2014). Effects of Exposure to Community Violence and Family Violence on School Functioning Problems among Urban Youth: The Potential Mediating Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms.Frontiers In Public Health, 2. http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2014.00008
Torres, J. & Wong, R. (2013). Childhood Poverty and Depressive Symptoms for Older Adults in Mexico: A Life-Course Analysis. Journal Of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 28(3), 317-337. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10823-013-9198-1