CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The concept of childrearing practices are based on character training and the inculcation of societal moral values. This training is done consciously or unconsciously by the member of the family which is the African tradition. According to Frank (2002) African child rearing, which is a form of education, consisted of the development of the child’s physical skills, development of character, respect for elders, development of intellectual skills and vocational training. African child rearing includes the development of the sense of belonging, active participation in the family and community affairs, and an effort to understand, appreciate and promote the cultural heritage of the community at large. The physical training is usually carried out by imitating the adults performing the acts such as wrestling, boxing, climbing trees, music and dancing. These activities, especially if competitive, test the physical, intellectual and social qualities of the individual. The development of the character requires the child to be sociable, honest, courageous, humble and preserving. Goldman (2007) view child rearing as an aim to develop a well-rounded individuality and not a patient work slave, professional automation, tax-paying citizen, or righteous moralist.
Personal social problems are interpersonal behaviours which in-school adolescents may embark upon. They range from aggressions, projection of self and events beyond proportion, reaction formation, rebelliousness, protests, fighting, assault, bullying (Oladele 1989, Chanhan 1990).
Adolescent is a period of much learning on their personal social life. Akinboye (1982) says it is a time of emotional turmoil, mood liability, gloomy introspection, great drama and heightened sensitivity. It is a time or rebellion and behavioural experimentation and it is a period of strain and stress fraught with many problems (Denga, 2001, Okoye 2000, Okpala 2000). Adolescent at this period have much of personal and social life with these significant persons as parents or family, peer group, the school authority that is in-schools adolescent and the society.
Parents naturally wish to see their children grow into adolescents. However, they also have some anxieties that go with this development. Parents get happy when they realize that their child is getting into adulthood and can help them run errands, drive their car, look after business, and do the cooking. On the other side of the coin, they are not quite sure how their youngster will manage their lives successfully. They wonder how they will grow up to become knowledgeable and hardworking. Because of the concern that parents show regarding their adolescent, they have a duty to make sure the process of maturing into adolescence does not come with much pain and uncertainty on adolescent personal social problems.
Peer group according to Nwachukwu (1993), are valuable group which maybe social group, academic that a child belong. Peer group is the group of people who are of the same age or status as yourself (Sinclair, 1996). Peer group, which is the first social group the child meets, tends to influence his attitude towards social group in general (Nwachukwu, 1993). Peer groups are valuable to a child for two reasons. First, they give him satisfaction by fulfilling his needs for companionship. Secondly, they contribute heavily to the socialization process begun in the home. Peer group therefore in the context of this work s the group of people either social or academic group who are of the same age with the individual.
Peer group influence accounts for much of adolescent personal social problems. Because of its importance, there is a tendency by certain parents to over-estimate what it can do. Hey tend to interpret the failure of their children from the point of view of the influence of the peer group. This is often the case whether we are talking about juvenile delinquency, or children would have behaved better if they received the proper care. So from the start, we must be careful how we rate the influence of one’s peer on him. Peer group are formed on the basis of common needs and interest. They are more or less adolescent own ways of assuming responsibility for their own decisions. They are also formed because during adolescence the strong ties between the child and his parents begin to separate. Since nature abhors a vacuum, the maturing individual would want people that he can confide and can tell some of those things he would be reluctant to discuss with parents, the group members often share the same values which in turn, give them that feeling of belonging to a collection of people. They gain securities from that group and share very deep emotional feeling among themselves. In many ways, the group offers all kinds of personal social problems advice, the common ones having to do with clothing, music, love and leisure-time activities.
Eke (2008), also points out that at particularly hard times when parents are busy trying to make out a living, there is hardly time for interaction with their children. In such a situation, adolescent turn to their peers for lessons on rules and regulations which govern conduct in society. Such contacts may lead to actions which do not conform to that their parents wish.
The school authority exists to complement the educative work together with the society in the adolescence personal social life which begins in the home. It does not just exist for the transmission of ideas from one generation to another. The school also exists for developing the aspects of the individual’s personality. The expectation of the school is that it will contribute towards the training of adolescent who do not only think of themselves but about other members of the society. It cooperates with the home to ensure that the adolescent develops a set of values which is consistent with the goal of building a dynamic and contented society. It is also the task of the school to ensure that meaningful and fruitful interrelationship exists between students.
All these influence that have been highlighted interact to produce personal social problems on the adolescent and have implication on the family or parents, peer groups, the school authority and the society.
It is against this background that the researcher deems it right to investigate into the influence of childrearing practices on the person social problems among in-school adolescents in Benue State.
Statement of the Problem
Reports of increasing incidence of adolescents’ crime and violence, indiscipline and immorality in our society suggest difficulties with socialization of children. Psychologist tend to attribute the prevailing crisis to a progressive departure from the traditional community-centre to childbearing approach consequent on mass living situation in families and
schools. In their view, this development has precipitated, among other things a ritual disappearance of clear cut moves and influence among in-school adolescents. The family as a social institution is subjected to different management approaches for effectiveness. However, children reared by rigid parents tend to be submissive but resentful of restrictions on their freedom as adolescents. The children reared by emotionally stable parents would likely exhibit well controlled behavioural traits; the one reared by emotionally disturbed parents or those who display inconsistent attitudes toward them may become confused or frustrated. The problem on this study has to do with assessing the validity of these assumptions. It is against this background that the study asks, how do childrearing practices influence in-school adolescents on personal social problems.
