CIVIC
INVOLVEMENT AND POLITICS
Smith, E. S. 1999a. “The Effects of Investments in the Social Capital of Youth on Political and Civic Behavior in Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal Analysis.” Political Psychology vol. 20, pp. 553-580.
Abstract: This paper uses
the National Education Longitudinal Study to examine whether early investments
in the social capital of young people produce greater political involvement and
civic virtue in young adulthood. parental involvement in a young person's life,
youth religious involvement, and voluntary association participation were some
of the forms of social capital hypothesized to influence adult political
behavior. Structural equations modeling was used to trace the effects of the
presence of social capital as early as the 8th grade year in shaping young
adult political and civic behavior. The analysis shows that early extensive
connections to others, close familial relationships, religious participation,
and participation in extracurricular activities in one's youth are significant
predictors Of greater political and civic involvement in young adulthood. [Source: SC]
Smith, Elizabeth Sue. 1999b. “The Making of Citizens: Social Capital and the Political Socialization of Youth.” Ph.d. Thesis, University of Minnesota.
Abstract: In this thesis,
the role of social capital resources, social relationships and networks, in
helping to develop in young people the attitudes and orientations conducive to
participation in civic and political life is examined. A national data set, the
National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS), and a regional panel data set are
used to assess how pre-adults are shaped and socialized by their parents,
peers, schools and religious and extracurricular organizations. Using the NELS
data and structural equation modeling, I found several key social capital
resource variables present in adolescence to have important effect on young
adult political behavior. Parental involvement in the young person's life was a
good predictor of greater participation in extracurricular activities at school
and was influential in motivating greater political and civic, participation in
adulthood. Participation in religious activities at a young age was influential
at promoting greater civic virtue in the form of commitment to and
participation in community service activities. Finally, and most significantly,
the analysis of the longitudinal data showed that extracurricular activities,
the voluntary associations of youth, as early as the eighth grade year were particularly
influential in motivating greater civic virtue and greater political
participation in young adulthood. Analysis of the regional panel data provided
further insight into the causal connection between social capital resources and
politically relevant behavior. These social capital resources were shown to
affect good citizenship orientations and behavior, including civility, civic
virtue, political tolerance and political participation. In addition,
extracurricular participation was found to have a causal effect on the
development of important resources and skills, political trust and civic duty
conducive to greater political involvement in adulthood. The findings of this
study suggest much more attention needs to be paid to how young people are being
socialized. [Source: DA]
Youniss, J. and M. Yates. 1999. “Youth Service and Moral-Civic Identity: A Case for Everyday Morality.” Educational Psychology Review vol. 11, pp. 361-376.
Abstract: Mature moral and
civic life is distinguished by respect for common humanity which develops
through participation in community service. This proposition is illustrated by
studies of adults who rescued Jews during World War II and contemporary adults
who lead lives of moral commitment. These individuals do not view themselves as
heroic but believe that their moral sense and actions simply express their
identity. A putative developmental process is described by studies that
longitudinally track youth activism to adult moral-civic behavior 10 to 30
years later and that detail changes in adolescents' thinking during a course on
Christian social justice that required community service. Everyday morality
seems to be rooted in an essential identity rather than being mediated by
calculated reason. It follows that educators who seek to justify service
learning can emphasize the identity process while pointing to the life-long
linkage between youth participation and adult moral-civic activism. [Source: SC]
Youniss, James, Jeffrey A. McLellan, Yang Su, and Miranda Yates. 1999. “The Role of Community Service in Identity Development: Normative, Unconventional, and Deviant Orientations.” Journal of Adolescent Research vol. 14, pp. 248-261.
Abstract: Responses from a
nationally representative sample of 13,000 high school seniors were analyzed to
identify predictors of normative, unconventional, and deviant orientations
among youth. Normative orientation was indexed using indicators of conventional
political involvement (e.g., voting), religious attendance, and importance of
religion. Unconventional orientation was indexed with unconventional political
involvement (e.g., boycotting). Deviance was measured through marijuana use.
Frequency of community service substantially increased predictability of these
variables over and above background characteristics and part-time work
involvement. Involvement in most types of school-based extracurricular
activities was positively associated with doing service, as was moderate
part-time work. Background characteristics of attending Catholic school, being
female, having high socioeconomic status, and coming from an intact family also
predicted service involvement. Results are discussed in terms of a theory of
social-historical identity development, suggesting that community service
affords youth a developmental opportunity to partake of traditions that
transcend the material moment and existential present. [Source: PI]
Youniss, James, Jeffrey A. McLellan, and Miranda Yates. 1999. “Religion, Community Service, and Identity in American Youth.” Journal of Adolescence vol. 22, pp. 243-253.
Abstract: The role of
religion in identity development has, for many years, been a relatively
neglected topic in psychology. To demonstrate the importance of religion to the
formation of identity, this paper presents evidence connecting community
service and religiousness in American adolescents. Data are reviewed that show
(1) youth are heavily involved in volunteer service; (2) many youth view
religion as important and those who do so are more likely to do service than
youth who do not believe that religion is important in their lives; (3)
involvement in church-sponsored service makes it more likely that youth will
adopt the religious rationale in which service is couched; and (4) youth who do
church-sponsored service are neither service "nerds" nor single-issue
tunnel-visioned adolescents. These data from nationally representative samples
strengthen the case that the many contemporary youth who take religion
seriously are vibrantly engaged in their schooling, in the betterment of
communities, and the development of identities which presage healthy
lives. [Source: PI]
Mieras, Emily. 1998. “A More Perfect Sympathy: College Students and Social Service, 1889-1914.” Ph.D. Thesis, The College of William and Mary.
Abstract: This dissertation
examines the rise of social service work among college students between 1889
and 1914, arguing that such service was a new phenomenon that both defined a
distinct youth culture based on social responsibility and redefined the American
middle class. Advocates of student service believed that educated young women
and men had unique qualifications for helping others, that they could bridge
the gap between economic and social classes, that service would help develop
student character, and that reform work would enhance the practical value of a
college education. For the predominantly white middle-class students who
answered the call for social consciousness, service among immigrants and the
urban poor became a rite of passage. In their interactions with the "other
half," these young people both tested and reasserted prevailing notions of
what it meant to be young, white, educated women or men. While students
challenged traditional gender identities for themselves, they reinforced them among
the working-class and immigrant populations they encountered. Student service
work emerged from three different, interrelated venues of social reform:
Protestant Evangelical religious groups, the women's academic community and
research universities. The dissertation investigates these different strands
through case studies of three settlement houses where college students worked:
the first run by University of Pennsylvania Christian Association members in
Philadelphia; the second sponsored by women college alumnae in Boston; and the
third, in Chicago, associated with Northwestern University. These examples
demonstrate the interplay between changing conceptions of gender, the growing
connection between universities and social welfare, and the Protestant impulses
that motivated many reformers. In all these cases, those who promoted reform
were as concerned with training college women and men to be socially conscious
citizens as with reforming the immigrant, working-class people those students
encountered in the cities. Their efforts helped create an intuitive association
between youth and social responsibility that underlies modern-day community
service programs on college campuses.
[Source: DA]
Raskoff, Sally and Richard A. Sundeen. 1998. “Youth Socialization and Civic Participation: The Role of Secondary Schools in Promoting Community Service in Southern California.” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly vol. 27, pp. 66-87.
Abstract: Attempting to
illuminate high schools' roles in encouraging volunteer community service, four
questions are addressed: (1) What are the extent & distribution of
secondary schools that sponsor or provide volunteer service programs? (2) How
do secondary schools promote or support volunteering among students? (3) What
is the rationale for offering community service? (4) What is the conceptual
relationship between school auspices & community service offerings?
Findings of a mail survey of students in 286 public or private high schools in
Los Angeles County, CA, & subsequent interviews with some of these
generally support the expected differences between public & private
schools; eg, private religious schools are most likely to mandate service
experiences for their students. However, the differences between religious &
nonsectarian schools need further elaboration. To the extent that civic
participation is based on social interdependence & a sense of community
responsibility or ownership, high school community service remains problematic
as a means of socializing students into the role of civic participation. [Source: SA]
De Haan, Laura G. and John Schulenberg. 1997. “The Covariation of Religion and Politics During the Transition to Young Adulthood: Challenging Global Identity Assumptions.” Journal of Adolescence vol. 20, pp. 537-552.
Abstract: Draws on survey
data from 209 students at a large midwestern university to investigate the
relationship between religious & political beliefs & their combined
influence during transition to young adulthood. Findings showed that the most
religious individuals had experienced some belief exploration before making a
commitment. Those who had not engaged in exploration & had no firm
commitment were the least religious. Faith in government proved unrelated to
identity development, but high political interest did correlate with high
identity achievement scores. No relationship between religious & political
identity was apparent, suggesting that components of ideological identity
should be considered separately.
[Source: SA]
Pastorino, Ellen, Richard M. Dunham, Jeannie Kidwell, Roderick Bacho, and Susie D. Lamborn. 1997. “Domain-Specific Gender Comparisons in Identity Development among College Youth: Ideology and Relationships.” Adolescence vol. 32, pp. 559-577.
Abstract: Gender comparisons
were conducted in six social domains of identity development on 210 college
students: occupation, religion, politics, dating, sex roles, and friendship.
The identity research literature often combines domains to create more global
estimates of identity development. Such an approach may obscure differences
among the domains, each of which may have different implications for different
societal contexts, and for males and females. Analyses were made for each
domain, and for the combined ideological, interpersonal, and overall domain
scores. Several gender differences were apparent when domain-specific analyses
were examined. Males were more likely to explore and commit in politics,
whereas females were more likely to explore in sex roles and to commit in religion
and dating. In politics, fewer males were in the diffused status; in contrast,
for dating and sex roles, there were fewer females in the diffused status.
However, when combined scores were examined, there were no gender differences
in identity status. The results suggest that some gender differences still
remain in specific domains. The utility of including domain-specific analyses
is suggested when gender comparisons are examined. Regardless of gender, more
youth were diffused in political identity than in any other domain, suggesting
political apathy among today's college youth.
[Source: EA]
Powell, Lawrence A., Cherylon Robinson, and Paul Nesbitt Larking. 1996. “Perceptions of Intergenerational Equity in the U.S. And Canada: Crossnational Variations, Policy Implications.” Paper presented at Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), 1996.
Abstract: Differences in
perceptions of intergenerational equity between youth in Canada & the US
are examined. Specifically, attitudinal items include ratings of contributions
made to & rewards received from society, of perceived fairness of taxing
the young to support the elderly, & of the relative interests of different
age groups. Structural correlates examined include gender, race, religion, income,
education & political interest, activity, & ideology. [Source: SA]
Power, Ann Marie R. and Vladimir Khmelkov. 1996. “The Effects of Community Service Participation on High School Students' Social Responsibility.” Paper presented at American Sociological Association (ASA), 1996.
Abstract: Investigates
claims that participation in service projects leads to high school students'
social responsibility at two levels: the immediate community & the broader
geopolitical arena. In addition, the effects of school community &
curriculum are examined using data from the 1988 National Education
Longitudinal Study. Comparisons of means & multiple regressions support the
hypothesis that service participation promotes social responsibility.
Specifically, church & community group projects influence responsibility at
the social structural level. Results also suggest that inschool communities
indirectly affect social responsibility through the generation of social
capital (in the form of proschool norms) among students & their peers. The
largest proportions of students reporting service participation come from
Catholic & other private schools & from academic programs. Creating
opportunities for service participation appears to be an effective way to teach
students about the needs of society & about possibilities for social
change. [Source: SA]
Janoski, Thomas and John Wilson. 1995. “Pathways to Voluntarism: Family Socialization and Status Transmission Models.” Social Forces vol. 74, pp. 271-292.
Abstract: Participation in
voluntary associations is usually explained by a Weberian theory that uses
human capital variables; however, Durkheimian theory suggests the importance of
parental socialization and family status variables (socioeconomic, educational,
and professional). Using data from the three-wave Youth-Parent Socialization
Panel Study (M. K. Jennings and R. Niemi, 1981), this article models the
changes in social participation that people experience while moving from high
school to parenthood. Data from 924 youths first interviewed as high school
seniors and a randomly selected parent of each student were interviewed.
Results show that voluntary participation was accounted for in part by the
transmission of socioeconomic status, but family socialization through example
and value modeling were often more important. When self-oriented (occupation
and profession) and community-oriented (service, church, community, fraternal,
and neighborhood) types of participation were distinguished, the status
transmission theory explains self-oriented but not community-oriented
participation. Family socialization explained community-oriented but not
self-oriented participation. Thus, theories of voluntarism must be
differentiated according to the type of voluntary association concerned. [Source: PI]
Sundeen, R. A. and S. A. Raskoff. 1995. “Teenage Volunteers and Their Values.” Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly vol. 24, pp. 337-357.
Abstract: This article
analyzes national survey data sponsored by the INDEPENDENT SECTOR and collected
by the Gallup organization in 1991. The survey shows that values that favor
charity and eschew material goals encourage volunteering, and also that youths
from higher social classes are more likely to volunteer than those from lower
socioeconomic backgrounds. Participation in religious activities and spiritual
values ave not related to the likelihood of volunteering. Although these
findings help us to understand who volunteers, they also suggest strategies
volunteer organizers may use to attract volunteers from underrepresented
groups. [Source: SC]
Rossinow, Douglas Charles. 1994. “Breakthrough: White Youth Radicalism in Austin, Texas 1956-1973.” Ph.d. Thesis, The Johns Hopkins University.
Abstract: This dissertation examines
the origins and development of the new left, the white youth movement against
racism and imperialism and for radical democracy, in one local
environment--Austin, Texas, home of the University of Texas. By providing a
grass-roots view of the development of radicalism in this locale, this
dissertation balances the focus on northern environments and the emphasis on
national leadership cadres that have characterized previous accounts of the new
left. I combine political narrative, cultural analysis and a social history of
politics throughout this dissertation. I make extensive use of local
documentary sources and over fifty oral histories that I have conducted, also
analyzing key primary texts. Contrary to accounts that root the new left in the
legacy of previous radical movements ar solely in the inspiration of powerful
thinkers, I trace the new left to white youth participation in the civil rights
movement. The first half of this dissertation discusses the three forces that
led white youth in Austin into civil rights protest: secular liberalism,
Christian liberalism and Christian existentialism. Then I offer a detailed
account of student civil rights protest in Austin in the 1960-1963 period,
documenting how this experience moved a group of liberal activists leftward.
The second half of this dissertation examines the self- conscious new left in
Austin between 1963 and 1973. I provide an account of radical organizations and
protest activities in this period, including free speech, university reform and
antiwar protest. Furthermore, I analyze specific themes, such as the search for
"authenticity" in life and the search for a "human" way of
life, that stretched from the activism of the 1950s through the new left of the
1960s. I document the deepening involvement of the Austin left in the local
counterculture, exploring a relationship that previous accounts of the new left
have neglected. Finally I examine the feminist left that emerged locally
between 1969 and 1972. This dissertation treats the new left as a movement with
both personal and political dimensions, and demonstrates that personal concerns
and desires acted as politicizing, radicalizing forces among privileged youth
during this period. [Source: DA]
Sherkat, Darren E. and T. Jean Blocker. 1994. “The Political Development of Sixties' Activists: Identifying the Influence of Class, Gender, and Socialization on Protest Participation.” Social Forces vol. 72, pp. 821-842.
Abstract: Compared 181 high school
students who participated in the antiwar, student, and civil rights protests of
the 1960s with 1,111 nonactivists, using data from the Youth-Parent
Socialization Panel Study. The authors explored how political and religious
socialization, social psychological orientations, and class origins affected
the Ss' involvement in the protests. Interrelationships between SES, gender,
social psychological orientations, and political and religious socialization
were examined. Data indicate that socialization processes and social
psychological dispositions were strongly linked to protest participation and
that social class spurred protest both directly and through its effects on
these factors. Gender differences in social movement participation were largely
a function of socialization, social psychological differences, and women's
lower rates of college attendance.
[Source: PI]
Smith, R. Drew. 1994. “Black Religion-Based Politics, Cultural Popularization, and Youth Allegiance.” Western Journal of Black Studies vol. 18, pp. 115-120.
Abstract: Traditional
political divisions within African-American religion among groups favoring
either exclusionist cultural nationalism, direct-action racial protest, or
electoral participation have recently been aggravated by class &
generational antagonisms. Blacks in higher age & income brackets have
focused on consolidating institutional gains while younger & poorer blacks
have been more vocal & radical, gathering increased attention. However,
communication barriers between these two groups reflect stylistic rather than
ideological differences. Ways to achieve greater political cooperation between
the two groups in terms of the development of a broader religion-based
political culture are explored within this context. R. Jaramillo [Source: SA]
Rashid, Hakim M. 1992. “Secular Education and the Political Socialization of Muslim Children.” American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences vol. 9, pp. 387-396.
Serow, Robert C. and Julia I. Dreyden. 1990. “Community Service among College and University Students: Individual and Institutional Relationships.” Adolescence vol. 25, pp. 553-566.
Abstract: Examined whether
1,960 college students' frequency of community service is associated with
sociodemographic background; institutional type (public, private with church
affiliation, and private with church affiliation and strong emphasis on
religion); personal value patterns; and involvement in campus activities. Two
personal variables showed significant relationships to community service in
each of the institutional categories: Spiritual/religious values were
positively associated with service, while an emphasis on professional success
showed a negative relationship. Findings offer evidence of the importance of
human values in the development of prosocial behavior. [Source: PI]
Serow, Robert C. 1989. “Community Service, Religious Commitment, and Campus Climate.” Youth and Society vol. 21, pp. 105-119.
Abstract: Current debates
over a national service policy have focused attention on voluntary action by US
youth. Analysis of questionnaire data collected from 2,100 college students in
a southeastern state reveals that participation in community service is related
to individual religious commitment & to the moral climate of the campus. The
finding that campus climate is most important among students with relatively
weak religious commitments suggests that institutions can take steps to
encourage pro bono efforts by young people.
[Source: SA]
Fahey, Maureen. 1986. “Lay Volunteers within an American Catholic Parish: Personality and Social Factors.” Ed.d. Thesis, University of San Francisco.
Abstract: This descriptive
research examined the personality, social characteristics and motivation for
service of lay volunteers in an American Catholic parish. Questionnaires and
the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) were employed to discriminate among
three groups of volunteers and between volunteers and nonvolunteers. A panel of
judges reviewed criteria for classifying volunteers from the 850 parish families.
Three categories of 100 each resulted: the leaders assumed decision-making
positions; team members were loyal parishioners who devoted unlimited time on
any assigned tasks; and general volunteers served for limited times on specific
services. A group of nonvolunteers was randomly selected for comparison
purposes only. The rate of response to the questionnaires ranged from 52% among
team members to 75% for the leaders. Statistical procedures used were analysis
of variance with unplanned comparisons, cross-tabulations with the Chi Square
test for independence, and multiple regression. The most significant findings
applied to the leaders whose profile showed the highest scores on all POI
scales. Team members showed an unflappable devotion to service. The general
volunteers showed a balanced motivation of personal, social, and religious
reasons for serving. The more personal and direct the experience of a
respondent with a given ministry, the higher the assigned value. The
nonvolunteers, often self-labeled as inactive Catholics, scored impressively
high on religious practice and expressed the most positive viewpoint on the
clergy. While volunteers were clear about their own identity as lay ministers,
they reported less clarity about the role of clerical leadership and their
relationship with the clergy. More development is needed in forging a genuine
partnership between the traditional clerical hierarchy and an emerging Catholic
laity. The young adults should be examined separately since they presented themselves
as a vital group even as the study uncovered a disregard for specific ministry
to youth: the age group identified as the forgotten parish component. The study
included a diversity of experiences, viewpoints and religious practices. The
doors need to be opened more widely for all the laity and especially for youth
and inactive Catholics. The challenge to the Church today is to be responsive
to its diversity in fashioning new forms of religious expression and community. [Source: DA]
Funderburk, Charles. 1986. “Religion, Political Legitimacy and Civil Violence: A Survey of Children and Adolescents.” Sociological Focus vol. 19, pp. 289-298.
Abstract: Religious
institutions are an agent of childhood socialization with consequences for
political learning. The results of a questionnaire survey (N = 736 children
& adolescents) in Key Largo, Fla, indicate that religious beliefs are
associated with support for the political system, its symbols & laws,
&, to a lesser extent, political authority figures. Conversely, strength of
religious commitment is negatively associated with approval of political
violence. The strength of these associations increases with age, suggesting
that the longer & more intensely religious beliefs are held the more likely
they are to influence political attitudes.
[Source: SA]
Glass, Jennifer, Vern L. Bengtson, and Charlotte Chorn Dunham. 1986. “Attitude Similarity in Three-Generation Families: Socialization, Status Inheritance, or Reciprocal Influence?” American Sociological Review vol. 51, pp. 685-698.
Abstract: The hypotheses of
attitude transmission across three ideological domains (gender roles, politics,
religion) are examined to access the adequacy of direct socialization, status
inheritance, & reciprocal influence models in a developmental aging
perspective. Data are from mailed questionnaires completed by 2,044 members of
3-generation families, grouped to form parent-youth (G2-G3) &
grandparent-parent (G1-G2) dyads. Results suggest that: there is little
convergence of parent-child attitudes with age when viewed cross-sectionally;
status inheritance processes account for a substantial amount of observed
parent-child similarity, but parental attitudes continue to significantly
predict children's orientations after childhood; & child influences on
parental attitudes are relatively strong & stable across age groups, while
parental influence decreases with age, although the exact pattern of influence
varies by attitude domain. [Source: SA]
Mitchell Mckee, Leila Gay. 1983. “Voluntary Youth Organizations in Toronto, 1880-1930.” Ph.D. Thesis, York University (Canada).
Abstract: This study
examines the historical development, organizational structure and programme
content of several voluntary youth organizations in Toronto in the period
1880-1930. Denominational, interdenominational and secular groups were selected
for analysis. The following groups generated sufficient manuscript and printed
sources to be included in this dissertation: The Anglican, Methodist and
Presbyterian Sunday Schools, the Methodist Epworth Leagues, the Methodist Young
People's Forward Movement for Missions, the Anglican Young People's
Association, the Canadian Standard Efficiency Training and Canadian Girls in
Training clubs, the Young Men's and Young Women's Christian Associations and
the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. Little material was available regarding
Catholic or Jewish youth groups and therefore the emphasis was on the
activities of Protestant young people. Several chapters evaluate the
development, organization and curricula of the groups in the context of an
evolving urban-industrial society: Chapter III concentrates on the social
philosophies of the leadership and the interlocking nature of the local elites
involved in youth work; Chapter IV describes the manner in which the programme
content of the groups reflected contemporary attitudes to nationalism,
internationalism, imperialism and militarism; Chapter V chronicles the impact
of the back-to-nature and sports crazes on youth work; Chapter VI analyzes the
religious philosophies of the groups. The impact of changing attitudes to
childhood and adolescence on the work of Toronto's youth organizations is
explored in Chapters II and VII. Sources included the extensive collections of
materials generated by the organizations themselves which provided ample
evidence of the attitudes, values and objectives of the sponsors and of their
impact on programme content. Unfortunately, very little information was
available concerning the membership of the groups and, as a result, a social
profile of the membership could not be assembled. This study concludes that the
historical development, organizational structure and programme content of many
youth organizations in Toronto reflected the broader political, economic, social
and intellectual contexts in which they operated. The youth organizations
functioned as sensitive barometers of public attitudes and, as such, can claim
the attention of students of this crucial period in Canadian history. [Source: DA]
Archer, Sally L. 1982. “The Lower Age Boundaries of Identity Development.” Child Development vol. 53, pp. 1551-1556.
Abstract: 80 female and 80
male early and midadolescent 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th graders were interviewed
to document the lower age boundaries of ego identity development in the content
areas of vocational choice, religious beliefs, political philosophies, and
sex-role preferences. Frequency of the identity achievement status increased
significantly with increase in grade level. The diffusion and foreclosure
statuses were most evident at all grade levels. Frequency of identity status
differed by content area, with the majority of instances of identity
achievement in the vocational choice and religious beliefs content areas,
moratorium in vocational choice, foreclosure in sex-role preferences, and
identity diffusion in political philosophies. Similar patterns of development
were found for both sexes. [Source: PI]
Maibaum, Matthew. 1980. “The New Student and Youth Movements, 1965-1972: A Perspective View on Some Social and Political Developments in American Jews as a Religio-National Group.” Ph.D. Thesis, Claremont Graduate School.
Abstract: This study traces
the growth, development and ontogenesis of student and youth groups on the
"radical" model in Jewish American society in 1965-1972. Chapter One
presents five hypotheses concerning the relationships of origin, structure, and
behavior in these groups towards which the discussion is addressed. Chapter Two
discusses the general surrounding environment of American Jewish college youth.
The primacy of college as shaper of attitude, interest, and political
socialization is stressed. The academic achievements of youth are discussed.
The cross pressures he had to resolve with adult society are analyzed: as a
radical he had to resolve relations with the Jewish adult world as a radical
and with general radical youth as "a Jew." Chapter Three gives a
political and social history of religious developments. Jewish religious groups
grew because cultural pluralism on the back model became acceptable, and also
from increased dissatisfaction by youth with the mode of worship and sparse
ideology of parents. Most attended intensively to Orthodox Jewish guidelines,
seen as more authentic, older, and more comprehensive. Chapter Four discusses
"general" cultural developments. Communal living groups developed
after 1965, owing origins to "Hippie" communes and to the autonomous
community concept on the Amish, Essene, and ancient Jewish pietist models. New
interest in Jewish science and sociology grew, an outgrowth of academic
interests of youth desiring to discover the intricacies of Jewish life and
problems. A Jewish youth press also arose producing up to fifty periodicals.
Chapter Five discusses the broad range of "political" groups. There
arose out of dissatisfaction with middle-class intrasigence, desire to infuse
Jewish identity into "radical" positions, and modelling the cultural
pluralist position in Black American society. They combined a radical leftist
political jargon, centrist lifestyle, maintenance of historic middle-class
values including law, absence of acrimony, and academic pursuits. Members
attempted an integrated cultural model of "radical" Jew both
religiously and politically focused in interest. Chapter Six discusses
developmental and relations problems. The role of religious youth in leadership
posed problems; women found their roles still unchanged in some ways; relations
with the "Hippie," "liberated" and middle-class youth had
to be rectified; diffuseness of types of interest members had had to be dealt
with, antisemitism had to be combatted; and the future place of Jewish youth
approaching adult roles within Jewish communities and organizations becoming
increasingly professionalized posed problems of access to leadership. Chapter
Seven restates the hypotheses. For the most part all were substantiated. The
relationship between individual personality, specific group environment, and
broader American and world events appeared important for further inquiry.
Finally, participant observations on how active Jewish youth indicated they
felt about religious, cultural and political dimensions of life, and their
place in it, were made. It was characterized that your developments comprised
an effort by youth to construct an identity through organizations that
legitimized, and articulated, their identity in their eyes and in the eyes of
others. [Source: DA]
Eisenberg Berg, Nancy. 1976. “The Relation of Political Attitude to Constraint-Oriented and Prosocial Moral Reasoning.” Developmental Psychology vol. 12, pp. 552-553.
Abstract: Investigated the
relationship between prosocial and constraint-oriented moral reasoning and
liberal and humanistic political attitudes. 76 White middle-class 7th-12th
graders from a Presbyterian church and a Jewish camp completed a 41-item
political questionnaire and a written objective test of moral reasoning based
on L. Kohlberg's (1969) conceptualizations. Chi-square analyses revealed that
older Ss were significantly more liberal and humanitarian than younger Ss, and
older Ss exhibited a significantly higher level of moral reasoning.
Correlations between political attitude scores and moral indices partially
supported the hypothesis that higher levels of moral reasoning are associated
with more liberal and humanistic attitudes: Liberalism scores were
significantly related to the prosocial, constraint, and combined moral indices;
humanitarian scores were significantly related to the prosocial and combined
indices, but not the constraint index. Further research is needed to determine
whether findings generalize to other social strata. [Source: PI]
Starr, Jerold M. 1975. “Religious Preference, Religiosity, and Opposition to War.” Sociological Analysis vol. 36, pp. 323-334.
Abstract: This study finds
religious preference to be significantly correlated with opposition to war
among a sample of over 900 college
freshmen. Even when controls are
applied for frequency of religious attendance, sex, father's education and
family income, those with no religious preference are most opposed to war, followed somewhat closely by Jews. Protestants and Catholics are close in their
degree of opposition to war, but rank
well below Jews and the non-religious.
Since frequency of religious attendance fails to demonstrate a
predictable linear or curvilinear relationship with opposition to war within religious categories, it is suggested
that religiosity and opposition to war may represent statistically independent
effects of religious preference.
The findings in this study cast doubt on the linear and curvilinear hypotheses of the relationship between
religiosity and outgroup hostility and also raise the question of what Jewish
and non-religious youth may share which makes them significantly more opposed
to war than their Protestant and Catholic peers. [Source: RI]
Maller, Allen S. 1974. “Religious Pluralism, Political Values and American Teenagers.” Religious Education vol. 69, pp. 446-450.
Abstract: Presents data from
a nation-wide 1971 survey of 23,000 promising 11th- and 12th-grade students who
were among the top 2% of students in their high schools. Answers to questions
concerning moral and social issues showed differences among Protestant,
Catholic, Jewish, and Black youths. Whether differences are statistically
significant is not stated. Comparison of results with adult surveys reveals
that adolescent responses tend to differ as much as those of adults. [Source: PI]
Jacks, Irving. 1972. “Religious Affiliation and Educational, Political and Religious Values of College Freshmen and Sophomores.” Adolescence vol. 7, pp. 95-120.
Abstract: An inventory
covering educ'al, pol'al & religious values & att's was admin'ed to 337
freshmen & sophomores at the Ogontz Campus of Pennsylvania State U. Responses
of 4 subgroups--Protestant, Roman Catholic-parochial Sch, Roman Catholic-public
Sch, & Jewish--were compared. Intergroup similarities far exceeded
divergences. Coll educ was perceived as most relevent to civic & vocational
area of life, least to primary interpersonal relationships. Little change in
religious or pol'al outlook was acknowledged, although some tendency to pol'al
liberalization was suggested. Protestants resemble most closely the total group
norm. There was a noticeable diff in att's & values between the 2 Catholic
subgroups, related to whether they had gone to public or parochial secondary
Sch's. Jews were most occup'ly oriented, most liberal pol'ly, most rejecting of
formal religion, but most adhering to their own religious affiliation. [Source: SA]
Banner, Lois W. 1971. “Religion and Reform in the Early Republic: The Role of Youth.” American Quarterly vol. 23, pp. 677-695.
Watts, William A. and David Whittaker. 1968. “Profile of a Nonconformist Youth Culture: A Study of Berkeley Non-Students.” Sociology of Education pp. 178-200.
Abstract: Compared 151
nonstudents to 56 students at Berkeley in september 1965 by questionnaire data
concerning "socio-economic backgrounds, current family relationships, and
social-political attitudes." Srole's scale of anomie, the personal
integration scale of the omnibus personality inventory, and the Thorndike
vocabulary test were also used. No major differences appeared related to
geographic origin, class background, and parental education. The outstanding
differences between the 2 groups are in general appearance and religious
affiliation. Nonstudents are alienated from society and their families,
interested in creativity and less career minded than students. Although not a
conventional political group, they support civil rights and Vietnam war
protests. 3 factors for SS dropping out of college are anomie, nonconformity,
and the philosophy of the college. It is concluded that the SS might be divided
into (1) an anomic subgroup, politically inactive, and (2) an active subgroup,
not anomic. [Source: PI]
Soderberg, Margaret Ann. 1963. “The Politics of Catholic Youth: A Comparative Study of the Young Christian Workers.” Ph.d. Thesis, Washington University.