NCJ Number
45951
Journal
Youth and Society Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: (DECEMBER 1975) Pages: 99-129
Date Published
1975
Length
31 pages
Annotation
A SOCIAL DEPRIVATION MODEL OF POLITICAL ALIENATION, WHICH POSITS ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN INTERNAL/EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL AND ALIENATION AND DEVIANCE, IS PRESENTED AND EMPIRICALLY EVALUATED.
Abstract
BASED ON THIS MODEL, A NUMBER OF HYPOTHESES CONCERNING THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SOCIAL DEPRIVATION AND POLITICAL ALIENATION IN BLACK AND WHITE ADOLESCENTS WERE FORMULATED: (1) BLACK ADOLESCENTS (BA) WILL EXPRESS GREATER FEELINGS OF SOCIAL DEPRIVATION THAN WHITE ADOLESCENTS (WA); (2) BA'S WILL EXPRESS GREATER BELIEF IN EXTERNAL CONTROL OF REINFORCEMENT; (3) BA'S WILL EXPRESS GREATER FEELINGS OF POLITICAL DISTRUST AND POLITICAL INEFFICACY; (4) FEELINGS OF SOCIAL DEPRIVATION WILL CORRELATE WITH BELIEF IN EXTERNAL CONTROL OF REINFORCEMENT; AND (5) EXTERNAL CONTROL OF REINFORCEMENT WILL CORRELATE POSITIVELY WITH FEELINGS OF POLITICAL DISTRUST AND POLITICAL INEFFICACY. TO TEST THESE HYPOTHESES, DATA WERE COLLECTED FROM A SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRE COMPLETED BY 1,581 JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL PUPILS FROM 10 SCHOOLS IN 3 STATES (ILLINOIS, MISSOURI, AND KENTUCKY). THE SAMPLE WAS COMPOSED OF MALES AND FEMALES AND WAS 79 PERCENT WHITE AND 21 PERCENT BLACK. A MEASURE OF PERCEIVED SOCIAL DEPRIVATION (A MODIFIED VERSION OF CANTRIL'S SELF-ANCHORING STRIVING SCALE, 1965), A FOUR-ITEM INTERNAL CONTROL SCALE, TWO ATTITUDINAL SCALES OF NORMATIVE/UTILITARIAN JUSTIFICATION OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE, AND MULLER'S OVERT POLITICAL SUPPORT SCALE (1970) WERE INCORPORATED IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS OF DATA CONFIRMED THE FIRST THREE HYPOTHESES: BA'S, AS COMPARED TO WA'S, DISPLAYED GREATER PERCEIVED SOCIAL DEPRIVATION, GREATER EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL (AN INDICATION OF LOW LEVELS OF SELF-PERCEIVED COMPETENCY), AND GREATER POLITICAL DISTRUST AND PERCEIVED POLITICAL INEFFICACY. HOWEVER, THE CORRELATION HYPOTHESES (NUMBERS (4) AND (5) RECEIVED ONLY MARGINAL SUPPORT, AND THE CORRELATIONS AMONG VARIABLES WERE STRONGER FOR WHITES THAN FOR BLACKS. POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS FOR THIS LACK OF SUPPORT FOR THE SOCIAL DEPRIVATION MODEL OF POLITICAL ALIENATION INCLUDE PROTECTIVE ELEMENTS OF BLACK FAMILIAL STRUCTURE, LACK OF SALIENCE OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM FOR BA'S, AND GREATER ACCEPTANCE OF POLITICAL NONCONFORMITY AND VIOLENT BEHAVIORS BY BA'S. BASED ON THESE EXPLANATIONS AND A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE, A 21-HYPOTHESIS REFORMULATION OF THE SOCIAL DEPRIVATION MODEL IS TESTED. HOWEVER, DATA AGAIN INDICATE THAT THE REFORMULATED MODEL IS MORE APPLICABLE TO WHITES THAN TO BLACKS, SUGGESTING THAT THE WHITE MAJORITY POPULATIONS IN THESE COMMUNITIES ARE MORE VIOLENCE-PRONE THAN THE BLACK MINORITY; POSSIBLY AS A RESULT OF THE SUCCESSFUL REPRESSION OF THE MINORITY RACE. THE POLITICAL REALITY MODEL MAY PROVE MORE FUNCTIONAL IN EXPLAINING POLITICAL ALIENATION AMONG BLACK PREADULTS. THIS MODEL ASSUMES THAT THE INDIVIDUAL IS CAPABLE OF ACCURATELY PERCEIVING HIS SOCIOPOLITICAL SITUATION AND OF RESPONDING RATIONALLY TO IT; I.E. WITH FEELINGS OF POLITICALLY INEFFICACY AND DISTRUST. EXTENSIVE NOTES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (JAP)