PARENTAL MARITAL STATUS AND ITS EFFECTS ON UNDERGRADUATES SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1                Background of the study

There have been growing concerns over the incident of youths' social behaviour in our society. Part of this concern sterns from the impact of marital status of parents and youths' social behaviour that has a wider effect on society at large. The home form the main fabric of the society. It is the core of socialization process where the young ones are well inducted into the adult world. It is popularly said that the child is not born human or social. It is only through his/her interaction with others in the environment that he gets his real human nature and personality. This statement imply that environment (family inclusive) and culture provide contents  and direction to the development of the individuals in the society (Allport 1949, kluckhohn and Marray1949).

Parents as the major agent of socialization need to understand the developmental pattern of their children. This will enhance the appropriate rearing methods to be use with each child, and also devise means of dealing with their numerous social problems. Therefore youth born of the same parents differ significantly, such that a particular upbringing method may not work well with all of them. Parents as first teachers bear the responsibility of socializing and teaching the child the accepted values norms and traditions of the society. Their failure to adopt the best method on each child affect the individual's social life. Onyejiaku (1991) further point out that human socialization is complex in nature. No adolescent is born into the world with the knowledge of right and wrong, and with an understanding of the accepted patterns of behaviour in the society. Socialization of an individual requires a long term training of the child to acquire accepted attitudes, beliefs, values customs, roles and expectation of the adult generation.

Previously, anti-social behaviours observed in youths could be traced to parental marital status. Some of these anti social behaviour that are commonly found among youths includes:- absenteeism from school and class, school dropout, smoking, drug addiction, drunkenness, prostitution, cultism, robbery and others. Most youths indulge in these deviant behaviours as a means of exampling from life's problems. The panning of children is a collective responsibility of both parents living together as husband and wife. In most home where there is absence of one parent or both due to either divorce, death or natural disaster, there is often less control and supervision of the adolescents' behaviour. On this note, social behaviour is the bed rock of youths effective and successful living in the society. The process of socialization guides the person to learn his position in the social matrix and ways and values of the larger community in which he will eventually take up adult responsibilities.

Most people feel that the family has little or nothing to offer during adolescence period contrary to this view researchers maintains that the family continues to influence the individual's personality during adolescence, Pringle (1962) asserts that the capacity for integration and creativity has roots in family living to him, a happy, good and united home provides a conducive and encouraging environment for social behaviour pattern and educational success. Henscin (1980) on his part note that to understand the behaviour of youths, one has to study the family situation. He maintains that the greater the instability in the family and its living arrangements; the greater the likelihood that the child's emotional and behavioral problems will be aggravated. It implies that if the home and society must achieve a better and greater tomorrow, there is need for  re-orientation on the growing incidence of divorce and separation  in homes and its negative influence on youths' social behaviour.

Similarly, the emotional disposition and behavioural pattern of a child is influenced by the type of home he/she come from children from divorced and separated homes are often more maladjusted than those from intact homes. The consequences in that they exhibit poor self- concept, withdrawal syndrome, inferiority complex, truancy, lawlessness, criminal tenancies and tell a lot of lies in defense. Okwubunka (1988) sum it up with the assertion that youths from separated homes lack confidence in their social skills which is a symptom of an -inner social anxiety these children grow up to be anxious, neurotic bullies, cheats and liars. The carefree, disorganized, disordered and indiscipline lifestyle of the adult has spilled over and infested the young person. Part of these carefree attitude often result in separation or divorced couples which have adverse effects on youths' social behavioural pattern. It is therefore the significant order of the adult's life to positively or negatively influence the adolescents' process of identity formation during this period in their lifestyle, sex, mode of dressing, drug use and so on.

1.2 Statement of research problem

The anti-social behaviours observed in youths could be traced to parental marital status. Some of these anti social behaviour that are commonly found among adolescents includes:- absenteeism from school and class, school dropout, smoking, drug addiction, drunkenness, prostitution, cultism, robbery and others. Most adolescents indulge in these deviant behaviours as a means of exampling from life's problems. The panning of children is a collective responsibility of both parents living together as husband and wife. In most home where there is absence of one parent or both due to either divorce, death or natural disaster, there is often less control and supervision of the adolescents' behaviour. All these and more will be discussed in this study.

1.3 Objectives of the study

the primary objective of of this study are as follows:

To find out the effect of parental marital status on youths behaviour

To find out if there is a relationship between between parents marital status and youths behaviour

To proffer solution to some of the societal vices committed by youths

1.4 Research hypothesis

HO: there is no effect of parental marital status on youths behaviour.

HO: there is no relationship  between parent marital status and youths behaviour.

1.5       Significant of the study

This study will lay emphasis on the parental status and its effect on undergraduate social behaviour.

The findings of this research work will undoubtedly provide the much needed information to government organizations, NGO, individuals,  and academia

1.6 Scope of the study

This study intends to examine  parental status and its effect on undergraduate social behaviour . Hence this study is delimited to students and lecturers of university of Lagos(UNILAG)  in Lagos  state  and as such, will be used as our case study

1.7 Limitations of the study

This study was constrained by a number of factors which are as follows:

 Financial constraint is inevitable considering the present economic situations. Due to lack of finance at the researchers disposal to get materials and in printing of questionnaires. it was not possible to visit some of the police stations and some of the victims of corruption.

 In developing countries like Nigeria, there is the problem of insufficient data.

Time factor: time factor pose another constraint since having to shuttle between writing of the research and also engaging in other academic work making it uneasy for the researcher   

1.8 Operational definition of terms

Parental: relating to a person's parent or parents.

Marital status: one's situation with regard to whether one is single, married, separated, divorced, or widowed.

Undergraduate: a university student who has not yet taken a first degree.

Social behaviour: is behavior among two or more organisms within the same species, and encompasses any behavior in which one member affects the other

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