Why do good kids do bad things? Considering multiple contexts in the study of antisocial fighting behaviors in African American urban youth

Journal of Negro Education, The, Summer 2002 by Foney, Dana M, Cunningham, Michael

This study aims to identify which contexts are related to antisocial fighting behaviors in African American adolescents. Eighty-eight urban high school students (75% female; ages 14 to 18) participated in a study aimed to assess the relation between their social contexts (family, neighborhood, peers, and school) and fighting behaviors. Results supported the hypothesized relation between negative peer influence and antisocial fighting behaviors. As expected, the combination of all 4 negative contexts was directly related to fighting behaviors. Additionally, males behaved more aggressively than females. Suggestions are offered for future research concerning the influence of extended kin on antisocial fighting behaviors in this population.

Understanding precursors to juvenile delinquency is an important and timely topic. Recent years have witnessed a punitive stance towards youth and juvenile justice policy (Bortner, Zatz, & Hawkins, 2000). Furthermore, policies for harsher penalties and juvenile incarceration, as well as other forms of social control, have been on a sharp rise (Krisberg et al., 1987; Snyder & Sickmund, 1995). However, the effects of these public policies have not fallen equally among all youth involved in the juvenile justice system. African American and Hispanic American youth are candidates most likely to be detained and confined in secure facilities (Krisberg et al., 1987; Snyder & Sickmund, 1995). What is needed is information about precursors to events that lead youth to participation in the juvenile justice system. For example, researchers have documented how African American adolescents have been impacted by negative perceptions of them by community and school officials (Cunningham, 1999; Ford, 2001, 1998; Irvine, 1990). These negative perceptions of youth often lead to internal and external coping responses that are precursors to involvement in the juvenile justice system (Spencer, Cunningham, & Swanson, 1995; Stevenson, 1997). One external response is fighting behaviors.

Antisocial fighting behaviors are a regular occurrence in many urban environments. Because they often occur out of the presence of responsible adults, fighting behaviors have long been considered unavoidable and harmful parts of growing up in these environments. Identifying the characteristics of youth who display these behaviors is important in order to minimize the growth of youth violence and potential juvenile justice system involvement. The majority of available literature on this topic, however, often exposes the characteristics of young White males while overlooking females and minority populations entirely (Brame, Nagin, & Tremblay, 2001; Nagin & Tremblay, 1999). When researching African American urban youth, methodology developed for the study of White children should not be generalized. Although development probably progresses similarly across different racial populations, researchers must consider the interaction between individuals and their unique environments. Therefore, understanding the development of minority youth requires precise attention to the unique situations these youth face (Garcia Coll et al., 1996).

All individuals develop within a variety of environmental contexts, which in turn, influence how they will respond to various stimuli. One response method is adaptive coping, which is how individuals meet significant threats to stability and function effectively (Anthony, 1974). Antisocial fighting behaviors, for instance, may be adaptive coping mechanisms utilized by many urban youth, although these behaviors have maladaptive connotations, which lead to increased involvement with the juvenile justice system. Not all youth within these communities display these behaviors, however. For example, Spencer (1995, 1999) demonstrated that many African American adolescents sharing the same environment commonly had different outcomes as far as behavioral resilience. Her research findings complimented the work of other researchers who have argued that adolescents who display resilience positively adapt within adverse contexts (Luthar, Cicchetti, & Becker, 2000).

These ideas are especially salient when discussing antisocial fighting behaviors as a potential precursor to involvement in the juvenile justice system. Previous investigations into the correlates of fighting behaviors have relied on several theoretical foundations. Some researchers have relied on social learning as an explanation, while others have incorporated an ecological perspective. Social learning theorists deal with aggressive behavior in terms of aspects of the environment which foster the initial learning of the behavior; environmental influences that aid in the performance of aggressive acts, once learned; and conditions that maintain aggressive behavior (Bandura, 1973). Proponents of an ecological approach most often refer to Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems perspective that identifies the specific contexts that might impact individuals (1979, pp. 3-8; 2000). Specific reference is often made to the five environmental components: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. The present investigation examined the microsystem-the setting having direct contact with the individual (family, neighborhood, peers, and school).