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Deviant Peer Influences in Programs for Youth: Problems and Solutions
Most interventions for at-risk youth are group based. Yet, research indicates that young people often learn to become deviant by interacting with deviant peers. In this important volume, leading intervention and prevention experts from psychology, education, criminology, and related fields analyze how, and to what extent, programs that aggregate deviant youth actually promote problem behavior. A wealth of evidence is reviewed on deviant peer influences in such settings as therapy groups, alternative schools, boot camps, group homes, and juvenile justice facilities. Specific suggestions are offered for improving existing services, and promising alternative approaches are explored.
462 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2006
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August 7, 2012
This book is all about how to stop young people involved in programs being influenced in a negative away by peers. It's an academic text and is heavy going in places. Some sections target different readers interests. There is 3 parts to the book - introducing the issues, reviewing peer effects and promising solutions & recommendations. Given I am always trying to have a solution focused approach I was naturally attracted to the last section to find out what to try. Researchers and academics of course will find lots of interest in the other sections.
The first section introducing the issues provides an understanding of the issue, what it is, how big a problem, how to measure it and all the associated knows and unknown's. No one doubts that young people look to each other for inspiration & understanding and so there will be influence. But the big question is why some are influenced to behaviour appropriately while in others the opposite. Researchers will find the information provided useful.
The middle section looks at the research to see what is the effect of peers in a number of settings, such as mental health, education, justice & welfare systems, housing, community programs and street gangs. The chapters go into detail about each area's research and summaries the conclusions and/or recommendations. Of course this is all US centric research. While the conclusions are high level they do point to where effort should be focused.
The final section offers recommendations for education, justice, housing and prevention based on the available evidence. The final chapter Findings & Recommendation provides a "blueprint" to minimise the effects of negative peer influence. It's for these chapters that I would recommend this book to anyone working with adolescences. Provided are summaries of the key finding, factors that effect influence and recommendations on what to do as well as what practices should be avoided. This chapter is extremely helpful in understanding program design and I would recommend the book for the final section chapters alone.
The first section introducing the issues provides an understanding of the issue, what it is, how big a problem, how to measure it and all the associated knows and unknown's. No one doubts that young people look to each other for inspiration & understanding and so there will be influence. But the big question is why some are influenced to behaviour appropriately while in others the opposite. Researchers will find the information provided useful.
The middle section looks at the research to see what is the effect of peers in a number of settings, such as mental health, education, justice & welfare systems, housing, community programs and street gangs. The chapters go into detail about each area's research and summaries the conclusions and/or recommendations. Of course this is all US centric research. While the conclusions are high level they do point to where effort should be focused.
The final section offers recommendations for education, justice, housing and prevention based on the available evidence. The final chapter Findings & Recommendation provides a "blueprint" to minimise the effects of negative peer influence. It's for these chapters that I would recommend this book to anyone working with adolescences. Provided are summaries of the key finding, factors that effect influence and recommendations on what to do as well as what practices should be avoided. This chapter is extremely helpful in understanding program design and I would recommend the book for the final section chapters alone.
Displaying 1 of 1 review