Sociological Perspectives

When researching the following question, I intend to find multiple resources which depict different perspectives such as life stories, articles and statistics that show the connection between anti-social behavior and relationships in both a positive and negative light. It is best to consider both perspectives that help formulate an objective answer to the question, giving readers a unbiased response. While researching, there will be a multi-disciplinary approach, as I expect to find information regarding the three social sciences including anthropology, psychology, and sociology which gives a fair response to the question. This can include links on how brain development during prenatal development, or how socialization of the child can impact

the chances of developing the behavior. The importance of researching anti-social behavior is to recognize how certain threats to development can increase the risk of this behavior to occur amongst teens. This includes poverty, as often individuals are at risk for developing behavioral and emotional problems since they perceive themselves stuck in the cycle of poverty, and have learnt to communicate their anger through a certain behavior. Mental health disorders such as depression, or experiencing abuse can worsen or increase the risks. As well, how a child’s emotional development was guided until they reached adolescence could help understand anti-social behavior. To continue, theories can also come into play when examining the risks. This includes Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, focusing on the social needs aspect. Researchers can look at how the child’s development is affected if they cannot fulfil their social needs, and the impact that is being made in their ability to reach self-actualization. As well, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, individuals can understand teen interaction with their environment including how their microsystem, the network of social relationships and physical settings the teen is involved in. By looking at anti-social behavior, there can be predictions as to how relationships in the mesosystem can be affected. The social emotional selectivity theory can help support why certain relationships exist with certain people, as teens entering young adulthood selectively narrow their social interaction to maximize the emotional experiences and minimize emotional risks. Thus, the importance of the topic is to examine the threat to development by looking at theories which help explain the behavior to find the impact of anti-social behavior and relationships.