Neighborhood experiences, community connection, and positive beliefs about adolescents among urban adults and youth

Shepherd Zeldin · Dimitri Topitzes

62 citations0/0 files storedJournal of Community Psychology

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Youth Development and Social Support Crime Patterns and Interventions Place Attachment and Urban Studies

Abstract

Abstract Adults have become increasingly isolated from adolescents in their communities, and this condition contributes to negative stereotypes about teens. Integrating research‐ and practice‐based knowledge, a theoretical model was constructed to predict positive beliefs about adolescents, specifically the extent to which adults and adolescents believe that teens are motivated and competent to act on behalf of their neighborhoods. The model includes two pathways to positive beliefs about adolescents. It was hypothesized that the experience of volunteering, and residing in a neighborhood that is perceived as safe and having adequate resources, would be associated with positive beliefs about adolescents. It was further predicted that community connectedness, as assessed by individuals' sense of community and perceived norm of adult caring, would mediate these associations. The hypotheses were tested through analysis of phone interviews with adults and adolescents from a large northeastern city. The model received consistent, albeit not complete, support between both samples. Results indicate that an understanding of beliefs about teens lies, in significant part, in the neighborhood experiences of adults and adolescents and in their sense of connectedness with the places in which they live. Implications for further research in this emerging area of inquiry are identified. While community‐driven research poses methodological challenges, this inquiry also illustrates the theoretical and practical utility of grounding study hypotheses, in part, on the causal relationships that have been observed by practitioners in neighborhood settings. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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References

2003Metaphors We Live By 1995The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.1997Neighborhoods and Violent Crime: A Multilevel Study of Collective Efficacy 1987Educating the reflective practitioner 1976The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure 1984Caring: A Feminine Approach to Ethics and Moral Education 1988The Truly Disadvantaged. The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy. By William Julius Wilson. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987. 254p. $19.95.1988The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, The Underclass, and Public Policy.

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