Deviant behavior of adolescents as a form of manifestation of the lack of moral and moral development of the individual

Deviant behavior, understood as a violation of social norms, has become widespread in recent years and has placed this problem at the center of attention of social educators and psychologists, physicians, and law enforcement officers.

Explain the causes, conditions and factors that determine this social phenomenon has become an urgent task. Its consideration involves finding answers to a number of fundamental questions, including questions about the nature of the category “norm” (social norm) and about deviations from it. In a stably functioning and steadily developing society, the answer to this question is more or less clear. Social norm is a necessary and relatively stable element of social practice that plays the role of an instrument of social regulation and control. The social norm, according to Ya.I. Gilinsky, - defines the historical limit in a particular society, the measure of the interval of permissible (permissible or mandatory) behavior, the activities of people, social groups, social organizations.

Social norm finds its embodiment (support) in laws, traditions, customs, i.e. in all that has become a habit, it has become firmly established in life, in the way of life of the majority of the population, supported by public opinion, playing the role of a “natural regulator” of social and interpersonal relations.

But in a reformed society, where some norms are destroyed and even others are not created at the level of theory, the problem of forming, interpreting and applying the norm becomes extremely difficult.

Of course, Russian society cannot remain in this position for long. The deviant behavior of a significant mass of the population today embodies the most dangerous destructive trends for the country.

The dynamism of social processes, the crisis situation in many spheres of public life inevitably leads to an increase in deviations, manifested in behavioral forms that deviate from the norms. Along with the growth of positive deviations (political activity of the population, economic enterprise, scientific and artistic creativity), negative deviations increase - violent and selfish crime, alcoholism and drug addiction of the population, adolescent delinquency, immorality.

Thus, deviant behavior is an indicator of the level of the lack of moral and moral development of society.

The content of the concept of "deviant behavior." Causes of deviation

The existence of any system (physical, biological, social) is a dynamic state, the unity of the processes of conservation and change. Deviations are a universal form, mechanism, method of variation, and, consequently, of life, the development of each system. The higher the level of its organization (organization), the more dynamic the system, the more important are changes as a means of preservation.

Since the functioning of social systems is inextricably linked with human activity (the objective collective conscious activity of a social person), social deviations are realized, ultimately, also by deviant behavior.

Under deviant (lat. Deviatio - evasion) behavior means:

1. the act, the action of a person that does not correspond to the norms (standards, patterns) officially established or actually established in this society;
2. a social phenomenon expressed in mass forms of human activity that does not correspond to the norms (standards, patterns) officially established or actually established in a given society.

R. Merton, using the concept of “anomie” put forward by E. Durkheim (the state of society when the old norms and values ​​no longer correspond to real relations, but the new ones have not yet been established), considers discrepancies between goals set by society and means to be rejected. it offers to achieve them.

In modern Russian sociology, the position of Ya.I. Gilinsky, who considers the source of deviation is the presence of social inequality in society, a high degree of differences in the possibilities of satisfying needs for different social groups.

Deviant behavior has a complex nature and is due to a variety of influencing factors, such as economic, social, demographic, cultural, etc. Among them, the most important are:

• biological factors are unfavorable physiological or anatomical features of the child’s body (mental impairment, defects of hearing and vision, damage to the nervous system, bodily defects, speech defects, etc.);
• psychological factors are psychopathology or character accentuation. These deviations are expressed in neuropsychiatric diseases, psychopathy, neurasthenia, borderline conditions that increase the excitability of the nervous system and cause inappropriate adolescent reactions.
• socio-psychological factors. They are expressed in defects in school, family or public education, they are based on ignoring the age and gender characteristics of children, leading to disruptions in the socialization process.

The most important causes of deviations in the child's psychosocial development can be dysfunctional families, certain styles of family relationships that lead to the formation of deviant behavior of students, namely:

• conflict style of educational influences, often dominant in single-parent families, in situations of divorce, long separation of children and parents;
• disharmonious style of educational and family relations, when not developed a unified approach, the general requirements for the child;
• antisocial style of relationships in a disorganized family. It is characterized by systematic use of alcohol, drugs, the manifestation of unmotivated “family cruelty” and violence.

Analysis of the family and its effects on the psychosocial development of the child shows that a large group of children have violated the conditions of their early socialization. In this regard, it is impossible to separate the problems of the child and work with him without studying the family, parenting style and features of the relationship between parents and children.

Socio-economic factors include social inequality, stratification of society, impoverishment of a significant part of the population, unemployment and, as a result, social tensions.

Moral and ethical factors are manifested in lowering the moral and moral level of society, the absence of a specific value system that would influence the development and socialization of the individual.

This problem has become particularly acute today in our country, where all spheres of public life are undergoing serious changes, the devaluation of former norms of behavior and moral principles is occurring. The discrepancy between the expected and the reality increases the tension in the society and the person’s readiness to change the pattern of his behavior, to go beyond the established norm. In an acute socio-economic situation, the norms themselves undergo significant changes, cultural and moral restrictions often disappear, and the entire system of social control weakens.

Professor V.N. Ivanov identifies such causes of deviation as: changes in the social relations of society, which are reflected in the concept of “marginalization”, its instability, “intermediateness”, “transitivity”, the spread of various social pathologies. The main sign of marginalization is the breaking of ties - economic, social, moral and spiritual. Economic ties are torn in the first place and in the first place are restored. Spiritual ties are restored most slowly, for they depend on a reassessment of values.

Socio-psychological portrait of deviant teenager

The survey was conducted among students of 5-8 classes - 122 people. (adolescents 11-14 years old) and students of 9-11 classes - 64 people. (boys and girls 15-17 years old). A total of 186 adolescents who were registered in the OPDN or in the intraschool register were surveyed.

The survey was conducted in order to identify the moral attitudes of the stumbled adolescent, his satisfaction with his family, his financial situation; to determine his opinion - why people commit certain antisocial acts; understanding - on whom the teenager is ready to rely in a difficult situation for themselves.

Analysis of the results showed the following.

• Among juvenile offenders, the proportion of junior and secondary schoolchildren increased markedly (65%).
• The majority of adolescents (68%) see the reason for their offense in external circumstances, and 25% of respondents are convinced that in a similar situation, everyone would have done the same. An inadequate assessment of the degree of harm done is also characteristic.
• The result of a survey on the properties of a person’s character turned out to be unexpected: girls included such positive qualities as arrogance (23%), self-will (15%), indifference (25%); young men - boldness (27%), cunning (38%), aggressiveness (51%). Among the negative personality traits, both boys and girls attributed such qualities as attentiveness, responsibility, friendliness, patience, and honesty.
• Attitudes of adolescents to drinking alcohol: 27.7% of respondents say that they have not tried alcoholic beverages; 46.8% (87 people) - consume beer; 10.2% tried vodka, and 6.5% tried alcohol. Thus, 72.3% are teenagers who drink alcohol. They start to try at about 10 years old, so preventive measures for the formation of a healthy lifestyle should also begin in elementary school. This is also indicated by the fact that 14.9% of adolescents say that they have tried narcotic or toxic substances at least once in their lives. In fact, every tenth of them runs the risk of becoming a chronic alcoholic, drug or drug addict.
• Answering the question: “For what reasons does a teenager leave home?”, - 40% of high school students think - in order to avoid ill-treatment; 20.6% - in search of a new interesting life; 27.3% of adolescents say that in order to prove to parents that he can do without them.
• For this group of teenagers, the way to achieve the desired is : appeal to parents (63.6%), appeal to friends (16.5%), 14% are ready to earn; 12.4% are ready to steal; 9.9% will humbly accept the situation of not achieving the desired, at the age of 14, no teenager is ready for robbery if he is alone.
• Attitude towards prostitution: 51.5% of high school students condemn prostitution; 19.1% believe that such a phenomenon must be fought.

Among the reasons for the use of harmful substances by a person, the following data was obtained: 35.5% (66 people) answered curiosity, 25% of respondents answered because they wanted to feel like an adult, 17.4% of adolescents and 4.8% of high school students did not want falling behind each other, 12.9% - will try “just like that”. This suggests that children have not formed a system of life values, even among high school students. 7% answered that they were forced, 0.5% were taught by adults.

- Attitude of adolescents to people with addiction: 40% of students believe that people with addiction should be treated; 14.7% - educate; 2.9% consider it necessary to punish.

- To the question “To whom or what will you turn to in a difficult moment?” Teenagers gave the following answers: they are ready to seek support and support from their parents - 56% of respondents (62% are teenagers, 40% are high school students); 35% will turn to friends (27% are teenagers, 43% are high school students); 4.3% are ready to ask for help from the teacher (mostly students in grades 5-8); for 3.2% - nature is the support; less than 1% will turn to religion.

Conclusion

The number of schoolchildren who are identified as students with deviant behavior, unfortunately, increases every year, because the number of provoking factors contributing to the formation of behavioral deviations increases.

On the one hand, deviant behavior appears as a form of manifestation of the lack of moral and moral development of the individual in our society. On the other hand, deviant behavior is viewed as a normal reaction to abnormal conditions for a child or group of adolescents in which they find themselves, and at the same time as a language of communication with society, when other socially acceptable ways of communication have been exhausted or inaccessible.

The main task of the school is to give each child, taking into account his individual psychological and physical abilities, the level of education and upbringing that will help him not to get lost in society, find his place in life, and also develop his potential abilities: intellectual, volitional , moral, ideological.