The Need to Be Accepted and Respected, Essay Example

This “proposal” for a community psychology research project deals with activity groups being formed in school and afterwards in easily accessible community centres that would have a discreet space for a qualified person to listen to teenagers talk about some things that are bothering them. The working hypothesis of this study is that as heterogeneous teenagers engage together in low-pressure fun activities and have some informal one on one time with an advisor, they will get to know and to understand each other and their cultures better, resulting in greater acceptance of themselves, others and their cultures. The American Journal of Community Psychology publishes research about underrepresented populations and issues of human diversity (Tebes). At the conclusion of the study, self-reporting results will be obtained with respect to some variables as well as program facilitators’ observations.

Years ago, before the rapid influx of immigrants, a person had a fairly good idea of what a North American citizen looked like, but not anymore; and the stereotypical physical, emotional, cultural, and religious characteristics are anything but homogeneous. Consequently, there seem to be few consensual norms and values anymore. This is not only confusing to teenagers who immigrated to the United States and Canada, but also to those born in these two countries. Depending upon the venue in which they find themselves at any given time, they may not be fitting in and, consequently, find themselves ostracized. If this happens often and in several venues, and there is nobody available with whom to talk about this, many things can happen to these children. They may be ostracized, excluded, or bullied to the point where they withdraw, their self-esteem drops drastically as does their performance, and they no longer want to live and often do not want their taunters to live either. The result is one too many shooting rampages.

Works Cited

Tebes, J. K. American Journal of Community Psychology. Journal No. 10464. Retrieved on April 18, 2012, from http://www.springer.com/psychology/community+psychology/journal/1.