Volume 22, Issue 85 (8-2022)
refahj 2022, 22(85): 123-156 |
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meynaghiaghdam Z, mirzaei K, safiri K, shekarbeigi A. (2022). The Relationship between Generation Gap and Social Harms among Teenagers in Tehran. refahj. 22(85), 123-156.
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3939-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-3939-en.html
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Introduction: Nowadays, the pace of social change is accelerating compared to previous decades, and in the meantime, intergenerational mobility and generation gaps have attracted the attention of many social scientists. The new generation is interested in change for two reasons and is more flexible in the face of new values. First, it has an arbitrary nature due to its age and seeks a new identity and personality independence. Second, because they are in a marginalized position of society and not in a state of apprehension, they are more inclined to change (Bramki, 2011: 22) Iranian society has undergone significant changes in recent decades due to being in the context of new social and international conditions and extensive communication and interaction with other communities. Accordingly, due to its construction, the family has been in step with other institutions and components of society in the adaptation of socio-cultural developments of society and has been in the process of changes. These changes and transformations from demographic aspects such as changes in family size, composition of family members, average age of marriage, etc. to changes in the roles of members, the type of their relationship with each other and social, emotional and supportive functions of the family (Khosrow Shahi, 2014: 81). Failure to transmit the legacy of the past and correct and practical experiences due to revealing contradictions and inconsistencies in the policy of life and verbal differences gradually or suddenly dig out the deep gap between the generations and aggravate the problem. The unjust and destructive image that the older generation sometimes hold as regards the younger generation, accusing them of disregarding religious teachings, historical roots, and genuine behaviors, is the result of this inability to convey concepts, receive feedback, and relationship differences (Mohammadi, 2013: 166). Durkheim (2000) sought social causes for social phenomena and believed that social factors such as inappropriate family conditions, lack of love, parental incompatibility, divorce, parental delinquency, poor family economic status, etc. play a decisive role in delinquency and there are social harms for individuals “. (Durkheim, 2000: 503) As a result of social change, families and their functions also change, and value and normative differences arise between parents and children, which can be considered as a kind of generational distance. This distances them from the lifestyle of parents and family. Such a situation reduces the understanding of parents and adolescents and young people and fosters differences between them. On the other hand, these conditions increase the feeling of loneliness, isolation, depression, delinquency, and social deviations of young people and adolescents and make them suffer from various cultural and social problems. Generational divisions create discord and aggression among family members and lead to external crises leading to a safe and peaceful family environment. It increases social nervousness and causes individuals and age groups to take a stand against each other in various fields, gradually weakening the emotional bonds that are necessary for human social life. And the alienation of the members of a family, family, neighborhood and city. The generation gap is a crisis that creates a crisis, so a penetrating and long-term view with well-codified and expert programs is one of the ways to reduce the educational and moral damage of the intergenerational gap. Besides, the issue of generation gap becomes more apparent when in this progressing process, the greatest impact is imposed on the weaker sections of society, so it is very important to pay attention to this matter. The aim of this study was to study the sociological generation gap in the incidence of social harms among adolescents.
Method: The current study is quantitative and survey type, and it is cross-sectional considering the time criterion. The statistical population included families in Tehran with children aged 10 to 19 years old, which were selected by sampling in multi-stage clusters according to the families living in different areas using the Cochran’s formula(N = 374). The instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire, and to determine its validity, face validity method was used to calculate the validity of Cronbach’s alpha method, and SPSS and Lisrel software were used to analyze the data.
Findings: Findings showed that «generation gap is significantly and directly related to the incidence of social harms among adolescents in Tehran”, and this means that harms and social issues are the product of the disrupted process of socialization and its reproduction in families and society, and raising the level of awareness in families is of great importance and necessity.
Discussion: Therefore, in order to reduce the incidence of social harms in society, the following proposals are proposed:
• Interaction and dialogue between the old generation and the new generation (youth) and negotiation on the disputed values of these two generations based on logical patterns;
• The importance of the old and adult generation to the expectations and values of the new generation;
• Reducing the value gap between the two generations by using cultural and educational workshops to create a common goal for a healthy and useful life; and
• Considering the significance of the companionship relationship with deviant peers and friends with the formation of deviant behavior and learning high-risk behaviors in young people, monitoring children’s social interactions is very effective and with a logical approach, the consequences of social interactions with deviant people can be reminded to young people. To prevent this harmful process (companionship and influence of rare and deviant friends), controlling and persuading young people through negotiation and reasoning is desirable.
In this regard, the following suggestions are made:
Interaction between the family system and youth to solve problems and problems;
Determining social criteria and norms of friendship and camaraderie by reference groups;
Teaching friendship skills and determining appropriate friendship patterns by a relevant social institution;
Considering the importance of the media in the formation of thoughts, ideas, facts and also its impact on the occurrence of high-risk behaviors, appropriate action for desirable socio-cultural policy in national media and virtual networks, it seems necessary; in such a way that the tendency of the audience to mass media contrary to social values is reduced.
Accordingly, the following suggestions are made:
Holding symposiums between specialists and psychologists of the family and youth under the auspices of Imam Khomeini;
Forming special working groups for families and using specialists and helpers in the field of social issues and injuries, social scientists and psychologists in these working groups
Providing cultural and educational programs related to high-risk behaviors for schools and universities by the media;
Preparation and construction of moral and cultural animations; and
Control of violent and immoral programs and management of harmful computer games by the family - adherence of the media in informing the citizens about the news and events of the society and avoiding exaggeration, censorship and lying.
Ethical considerations
The present study is descriptive, analytical and quantitative in terms of method. The principles of trustworthiness in the use of sources have been observed by mentioning the name and date of the work. Also, in the stage of collecting information and analyzing and interpreting data, honesty and respecting the rights of all people are taken into account. Here, it is necessary to thank all the people who helped us in doing this research.
Introduction: Nowadays, the pace of social change is accelerating compared to previous decades, and in the meantime, intergenerational mobility and generation gaps have attracted the attention of many social scientists. The new generation is interested in change for two reasons and is more flexible in the face of new values. First, it has an arbitrary nature due to its age and seeks a new identity and personality independence. Second, because they are in a marginalized position of society and not in a state of apprehension, they are more inclined to change (Bramki, 2011: 22) Iranian society has undergone significant changes in recent decades due to being in the context of new social and international conditions and extensive communication and interaction with other communities. Accordingly, due to its construction, the family has been in step with other institutions and components of society in the adaptation of socio-cultural developments of society and has been in the process of changes. These changes and transformations from demographic aspects such as changes in family size, composition of family members, average age of marriage, etc. to changes in the roles of members, the type of their relationship with each other and social, emotional and supportive functions of the family (Khosrow Shahi, 2014: 81). Failure to transmit the legacy of the past and correct and practical experiences due to revealing contradictions and inconsistencies in the policy of life and verbal differences gradually or suddenly dig out the deep gap between the generations and aggravate the problem. The unjust and destructive image that the older generation sometimes hold as regards the younger generation, accusing them of disregarding religious teachings, historical roots, and genuine behaviors, is the result of this inability to convey concepts, receive feedback, and relationship differences (Mohammadi, 2013: 166). Durkheim (2000) sought social causes for social phenomena and believed that social factors such as inappropriate family conditions, lack of love, parental incompatibility, divorce, parental delinquency, poor family economic status, etc. play a decisive role in delinquency and there are social harms for individuals “. (Durkheim, 2000: 503) As a result of social change, families and their functions also change, and value and normative differences arise between parents and children, which can be considered as a kind of generational distance. This distances them from the lifestyle of parents and family. Such a situation reduces the understanding of parents and adolescents and young people and fosters differences between them. On the other hand, these conditions increase the feeling of loneliness, isolation, depression, delinquency, and social deviations of young people and adolescents and make them suffer from various cultural and social problems. Generational divisions create discord and aggression among family members and lead to external crises leading to a safe and peaceful family environment. It increases social nervousness and causes individuals and age groups to take a stand against each other in various fields, gradually weakening the emotional bonds that are necessary for human social life. And the alienation of the members of a family, family, neighborhood and city. The generation gap is a crisis that creates a crisis, so a penetrating and long-term view with well-codified and expert programs is one of the ways to reduce the educational and moral damage of the intergenerational gap. Besides, the issue of generation gap becomes more apparent when in this progressing process, the greatest impact is imposed on the weaker sections of society, so it is very important to pay attention to this matter. The aim of this study was to study the sociological generation gap in the incidence of social harms among adolescents.
Method: The current study is quantitative and survey type, and it is cross-sectional considering the time criterion. The statistical population included families in Tehran with children aged 10 to 19 years old, which were selected by sampling in multi-stage clusters according to the families living in different areas using the Cochran’s formula(N = 374). The instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire, and to determine its validity, face validity method was used to calculate the validity of Cronbach’s alpha method, and SPSS and Lisrel software were used to analyze the data.
Findings: Findings showed that «generation gap is significantly and directly related to the incidence of social harms among adolescents in Tehran”, and this means that harms and social issues are the product of the disrupted process of socialization and its reproduction in families and society, and raising the level of awareness in families is of great importance and necessity.
Discussion: Therefore, in order to reduce the incidence of social harms in society, the following proposals are proposed:
• Interaction and dialogue between the old generation and the new generation (youth) and negotiation on the disputed values of these two generations based on logical patterns;
• The importance of the old and adult generation to the expectations and values of the new generation;
• Reducing the value gap between the two generations by using cultural and educational workshops to create a common goal for a healthy and useful life; and
• Considering the significance of the companionship relationship with deviant peers and friends with the formation of deviant behavior and learning high-risk behaviors in young people, monitoring children’s social interactions is very effective and with a logical approach, the consequences of social interactions with deviant people can be reminded to young people. To prevent this harmful process (companionship and influence of rare and deviant friends), controlling and persuading young people through negotiation and reasoning is desirable.
In this regard, the following suggestions are made:
Interaction between the family system and youth to solve problems and problems;
Determining social criteria and norms of friendship and camaraderie by reference groups;
Teaching friendship skills and determining appropriate friendship patterns by a relevant social institution;
Considering the importance of the media in the formation of thoughts, ideas, facts and also its impact on the occurrence of high-risk behaviors, appropriate action for desirable socio-cultural policy in national media and virtual networks, it seems necessary; in such a way that the tendency of the audience to mass media contrary to social values is reduced.
Accordingly, the following suggestions are made:
Holding symposiums between specialists and psychologists of the family and youth under the auspices of Imam Khomeini;
Forming special working groups for families and using specialists and helpers in the field of social issues and injuries, social scientists and psychologists in these working groups
Providing cultural and educational programs related to high-risk behaviors for schools and universities by the media;
Preparation and construction of moral and cultural animations; and
Control of violent and immoral programs and management of harmful computer games by the family - adherence of the media in informing the citizens about the news and events of the society and avoiding exaggeration, censorship and lying.
Ethical considerations
The present study is descriptive, analytical and quantitative in terms of method. The principles of trustworthiness in the use of sources have been observed by mentioning the name and date of the work. Also, in the stage of collecting information and analyzing and interpreting data, honesty and respecting the rights of all people are taken into account. Here, it is necessary to thank all the people who helped us in doing this research.
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2021/08/1 | Accepted: 2022/06/7 | Published: 2022/08/8
Received: 2021/08/1 | Accepted: 2022/06/7 | Published: 2022/08/8
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