sample="rhetorical" bates="TIMN0285365" isource="ti" decade="1980" class="ui" date="19820809" RESEARCH ANALYSIS For the Booklet "THERE'S WISDOM IN WAITING" JAMES H. PETERSON, Ph.D. 9 August 1982 1 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The Tobacco Institute desires to make the public aware that adolescents should delay their decision about using tobacco until adulthood. An ad campaign is planned to announce this point of view. Parents, teachers, community leaders and schools have important influences upon the decisions that adolescents make about adult behaviors and customs. They can motivate adolescents to delay participating in adult behaviors and customs. Schools are important communicators of strategies for dealing with adolescents. They regularly sponsor a variety of programs, in and out of school, that deal with the day-to-day living decisions made by adolescents. Parents, teachers and community youth leaders often respond favorably to the recommendations that schools make about guiding adolescent behavior. A booklet titled "There's Wisdom in Waiting" will be developed by a national school policy organization (i.e., National Association of Sate Boards of Education, The Council of Chief State School Officers) in cooperation with The Tobacco Institute. The booklet will contain a discussion of adult behaviors and recommendations for delaying the participation of adolescents in adult customs. The booklet will be made available, free of charge, to parents, schools, teaches, and community youth leaders. The Tobacco Institute and the national school organization will promote the booklet. The booklet project will begin mid-1982. The goal is to have it available for distribution by late 1982 or early 1983. Follow-on opportunities exist for this endeavor. Once the booklet has had exposure and distribution, the following activities may prove worthwhile: ˇinvolvement of a national parent organization (i.e., PTA, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts) to distribute the booklet to their members and constituencies; ˇ development of a media piece (poster, booklet, etc.) for use by adolescents to reinforce responsible living behaviors; ˇ development of a program on responsible living, one that is ? directed toward adolescents and adult behaviors, to be used by schools and youth organizations; ˇ design and introduction of a pilot state project to focus attention ? on successful ways of delaying adolescent participation in adult behaviors. 2. ADULT BEHAVIORS AND CUSTOMS The following listing of behaviors are accepted by American society as adult customs: ˇ having sex; ˇ driving an automobile; ? order ˇ drinking, wine, beer and distilled spirits; ˇ smoking and chewing tobacco; ˇ voting in elections; ˇ obtaining credit; ˇ joining the military service; ˇ having a child; ˇ having an apartment; ˇ obtaining and using drugs; ? ˇ participating in gambling; ˇ getting married; ˇ living together. Some of these behaviors or customs are forbidden by law (drinking beverage alcohol, voting, gambling, etc.) while others are discouraged by social custom. Some of these adult customs are forbidden by religious beliefs and attitudes and values held by different groups of people. Our nation's melting pot culture gives rise to many sub-cultures that promote differing views about these behaviors and customs. Adolescents, particularly since the 1960's, have engaged in these adult customs more often at an earlier age. Researchers believe this is a result of the development of stronger adolescent peer and reference group pressures. The advent of technology, expanded media presentations, new work roles and other innovations have diminished the control of adolescent behavior by families and religious institutions. Adolescent pressure groups compete with family, religious and community pressures for the control of adolescent behavior. Today, the adolescent peer and reference group pressures are the important determinants of whether or not an adolescent participates in adult customs. This change is in contrast to the dominant force of parents, religion and community influences of an earlier era. Today, adolescents are more controlled by their own peers and the teenage referents (rock music, designer jeans, braided hair, etc.) than their parents, teachers, community and religious leaders. Adolescents, as one might expect, are unable to deal responsibly with many of the adult customs in our society. Sometimes they do fine, but often they engage in adult customs unprepared for the consequences. Teenagers having children, drinking beverage alcohol, driving automobiles, conjugal living arrangements and using drugs are major problems. For example, pregnancies among teenagers are on the rise that create serious health and social problems. Driving cars while intoxicated is a practice among teenagers more often than adults. The forecast is for more problems with adolescents and their participation in adult customs. Living Together - Benefits if delayed: -? 1. Responsible decisions weighing the pros and cons of a conjugal arrangement outside of marriage - one that has no permanent commitment. 2. Reducing the problems related to the break-up of these arrangements. Problems: 1. No permanent commitment. 2. Opposing family and cultural customs. 3. Emotional problems when arrangement breaks up. Having a child - Benefits if delayed: 1. Deferring children until marriage and of age to make a decision responsibly. 2. Understanding the responsibilities of child bearing and child rearing. 3. Understanding the risks to mother a child of childbirth while a teenager. 4. Reducing social problems related to unwed teenage mothers. 5. Girls able to complete high school who formerly dropped out because of pregnancy. Problems: 1. Lack of knowledge and use of contraceptives. 2. Religious views that oppose contraceptives and abortion. 3. Parents, teachers reluctant to deal with sex-related issues. Getting Married - Benefits if delayed: 1. Responsible decisions about marriage that consider readiness for marriage in terms of completion of education, capability to support themselves, understanding of compromises in marriage, etc. 2. Deferring marriage until old enough to make a wise choice. 3. Not getting married as a reaction to a difficult home environment or to prove oneself. Problems: 1. Early marriages, high divorce rates, early parenting. 2. Supporting a family. 3. Opposing family and cultural traditions. Society, parents, teachers, community leaders and others employ a variety of techniques to curb adolescent participation in adult customs. Society through its institutions (legal system, mainly) attempts to prohibit by laws teenage participation in adult customs. For example, we have laws on the age of marriage without consent of parents, age restrictions on buying beverage alcohol and tobacco, and an eighteen-year-old age for voting. These formal sanctions stand as our society's concern that adolescents not engage in adult behaviors until they have reached a more mature age. Pressure is the other type of technique used to reduce adolescent participation in adult customs. Pressure comes from parents, friends, teachers, religious and youth leaders and other influentials. These pressures take the form of threats of punishment, loss of friendship and respect, loss of rewards, etc. Although these attempts at curbing adolescent participation in adult customs are informal sanctions, they are the more powerful and effective of the two strategies. A debate continues in society about whether or not we need more laws to curb adolescent participation in adult customs. There are those who say tougher laws that restrict teenage behavior will establish a standard or code of behavior that is missing. For example, some policy makers are ? pushing for an eighteen-year-old driving law; they believe this will reduce highway accidents caused by teenage drivers. At the other end of the public policy continuum are persons who believe the best strategy for curbing adolescent participation in adult customs is to appeal to teenagers' rational capabilities and stimulate more parental involvement in their decision making about day-to-day living. Obviously, this debate will continue for years to come. These points of view reflect philosophical differences about how human behavior should be directed in a society. 3. STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH ADOLESCENTS The following listing of strategies for dealing with adolescent behavior are those techniques most commonly used in American society: ˇ peer and reference group pressure modification ˇ decision making discussions ˇ value clarification and development ˇ citizenship discussions ˇ responsible living discussions ˇ information sharing ˇ scare tactic presentations ˇ legal restrictions Growing up consists of a wide range of socialization processes and experiences. Initially, families provide from birth on the major behavioral guidance for children. As children enter schools, day care centers, and neighborhood activities, the behavioral guidance process is shared with other children, teachers, youth leaders, etc. However, the main controlling force is the family and its values, attitudes and beliefs about how to live. Once children approach the adolescent period (12-18 years of age), behavioral control begins to shift from the family to adolescent peer and reference groups. Adolescents, the 12-14 year age group, begin to aspire to the behavior patterns of the older adolescents. A rite of passage process often becomes a method of controlling who does what and under what conditions. Adolescent peer and reference groups compete with families, teachers, religious and youth leaders for the control of teenage behavior. These are difficult years for children as the pressures are great to do as your family wants and to do as your friends want. Often, these behavioral alternatives are opposites, creating major dilemmas for teenagers. b. Strategies for Delaying Adolescent Participation in Adult Customs this list of strategies (P. 18) is comprehensive. There may be ways of stating the strategies that communicate better. Select the language you feel communicates effectively. Parents, teachers, youth leaders, and other persons who deal with teenagers are the target audience. Recommendation 1. Research findings show that adolescents respond best when: ˇ communication lines are open ˇ give and take discussions are possible. ˇ clear, concise factual information is provided ˇ clear expectations are provided 2. Research findings show that adolescents respond least favorably when: ˇ harsh commands are given of an either or nature ˇ biased information is provided ˇ pressure tactics are used ˇ moralizing and preaching are used ˇ legal restraints are inacted ˇ their friends' and peer groups' motives and integrity are challenged 3. Research findings indicate that teenage peer and reference groups are controlling adolescent behaviors. Thus, these forces (adolescent peer and reference groups) must be to reinforce responsible decisions about adult customs. 4. Responsible decision making, responsible living and decision making are concepts useful in developing a workable strategy for dealing with adolescent behavior. 5. Values clarification means many things to many people. One interpretation is that this exercise (values clarification and development) undermines the moral fiber of American society. Caution should be sued with the term values. 6. Explanations about how children and the dimensions of socialization are essential. 7. Developing individual potential, the ability to make wise and responsible choices and learning how to analyze situations to predict consequences, problems and benefits, are important points. We need to show how adolescents can develop into responsible adults and the contribution that parents, teachers and youth leaders can make to that process. 8. Delaying participation in adult behaviors until a teenager's experience base is larger and less pressured by adolescent pressure groups, the right to make an intelligent choice is a useful concept. 9. Balancing teenage pressure group influences on adolescent behavior with parent, teacher, and youth leader influences is an important concept. Parents tend to withdraw from their teenager's decision making and accept their behavior as a condition of this age. 10. Use a generic strategy for dealing with adolescents and their participation in adult customs. Do not individualize or create magic bullet strategies for single adult customs. c. Content and Approach 1. The following myths about adolescent participation in adult customs may be helpful in communicating with our audience. There are many more, feel free to use these and develop others to facilitate communication: ˇlegal restrictions prevent the practice of adult customs by adolescents ˇ telling teenagers the truth will set them on the right track ˇ letting adolescents know the consequences of adult behaviors will discourage their participation ˇ hard nosed discipline will eliminate teenage problems. ˇ criticizing adolescent peer and reference groups vigorously will discourage their acceptance and influence ˇ teenagers are to be seen but not heard ˇ experience is the best teacher ˇ traditional values will prevail over new, far-out ways of living ˇ tough standards of conduct backed up by strict discipline will eliminate teenage problems ˇ roll with the punches, let adolescents explore and develop, they will do fine. Recommendation 1. The approach must be positive. We want leaders to offer encouragement to parents, teachers and youth leaders. They need to visualize a way to make a difference with adolescents and their tendency to participate in adult behaviors more often and at an earlier age. 2. The approach needs to be concrete, a strategy that can be used with little difficulty. If you rely on the decision making strategy for example, it needs to be explained fully and with real life situations. 3. Suggest graphics wherever you feel a point can be communicated more clearly. 4. Suggest reference material as you feel relevant and helpful to the readers. 5. Finally, the writing style should motivate the reader to examine his or her strategies for dealing with adolescents. The reader should know what adult customs are and the problems and benefits associated with each strategy for delaying adolescent participation in these customs. A conclusion should be reached as to which combination of strategies offers the greatest effectiveness.