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"Bad Things Could Happen": How Fear Impedes Social Responsibility in Privileged Adolescents

NCJ Number
224911
Journal
Journal of Adolescent Research Volume: 23 Issue: 6 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 647-666
Author(s)
Scott Seider
Date Published
November 2008
Length
20 pages
Annotation
In an attempt to offer insights to parents, educators, policymakers, and researchers about the process by which privileged adolescents develop or fail to develop a sense of social responsibility, this study investigated the response of affluent high school seniors to learning about issues of social justice.
Abstract
The study found that the majority of Literature and Justice participants reacted to learning about poverty with fear, anxiety, and a protectiveness of their own educational privilege. Numerous obstacles inhibit affluent teenagers from developing a sense of social responsibility for the challenges faced by many individuals in neighboring towns, States, and countries across the world. Social responsibility is referred to as a feeling of obligation to improve the circumstances of those who are struggling or in need of support. This study considered the influence of a social justice course upon the attitudes and values of affluent high school seniors. Participants in the study consisted of 83 Glennview High School seniors in Glennview, MA taking the course, Literature and Justice. Table, notes, and references