Society Stigmatises Youth
Society stigmatises you.’ Consider how far you would agree with this statement.
In this assignment I will look at whether society stigmatizes youth. I plan to analyze the proposition that ‘society stigmatizes youth’ and also refute the proposition with supported evidence, and conclude as to whether I believe society does stigmatize young people. Furthermore, I will provide a sustained, coherent argument of youth viewed negatively and positively. In addition, I will address how the mass media creates preconceptions of youth, which influence societies view of all young people and whether youth are or are not stigmatized by their subculture. I will also consider other factors such as a young persons demographics and government policy/legislation .
In this essay I have defined Youth as ‘the time of life between childhood and maturity (Webster’s New World College Dictionary,2004 ,pg1021) nevertheless this implies that the young person is not mature therefore I believe it’s a negative generalization. Youth is difficult to define as the age that being a youth begins and ends is not a definite age, thus the characteristics that are linked to youths do not have an exact age that they should begin and end. This is due to individual’s biological, psychological and social issues being different making maturity come at different points in their life. There are many ways to define what being a youth consists of; however, the one common factor is that definitions are not universally applicable due to different cultures and religions having an impact on maturity and attitudes. Stigmatisation is defined by the free dictionary (2007) as ‘distinguishing personal trait that is perceived as or actually is physically, socially, or psychologically disadvantageous’. Youth may be viewed negatively due to the vast amount of negative coverage in media.
Youth crime is as much a predicament of political and media creation as it a real threat. The media contribute significantly to the
In this assignment I will look at whether society stigmatizes youth. I plan to analyze the proposition that ‘society stigmatizes youth’ and also refute the proposition with supported evidence, and conclude as to whether I believe society does stigmatize young people. Furthermore, I will provide a sustained, coherent argument of youth viewed negatively and positively. In addition, I will address how the mass media creates preconceptions of youth, which influence societies view of all young people and whether youth are or are not stigmatized by their subculture. I will also consider other factors such as a young persons demographics and government policy/legislation .
In this essay I have defined Youth as ‘the time of life between childhood and maturity (Webster’s New World College Dictionary,2004 ,pg1021) nevertheless this implies that the young person is not mature therefore I believe it’s a negative generalization. Youth is difficult to define as the age that being a youth begins and ends is not a definite age, thus the characteristics that are linked to youths do not have an exact age that they should begin and end. This is due to individual’s biological, psychological and social issues being different making maturity come at different points in their life. There are many ways to define what being a youth consists of; however, the one common factor is that definitions are not universally applicable due to different cultures and religions having an impact on maturity and attitudes. Stigmatisation is defined by the free dictionary (2007) as ‘distinguishing personal trait that is perceived as or actually is physically, socially, or psychologically disadvantageous’. Youth may be viewed negatively due to the vast amount of negative coverage in media.
Youth crime is as much a predicament of political and media creation as it a real threat. The media contribute significantly to the
References: Agnes, E,M.,1980.Webster’s New World.4th ed. Unknown Barandos , 2008. The shame of Britain 's intolerance of children [online] Believe in Barandos.Availbleat:[Accessed 16/05/10] Cohen, S.,1980. Folk Devils and Moral Panics. 3rd ed. Great Britain: Oxford Guardian, 2010. Is the age of criminal responsibility too low at 10? [online] Society Guardian. Availiable at: [Accessed 09/05/10] Hardy, J, 2009.Youth as producers. Concept of Youth . Youth Studies Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham. Hardy, J, 2010. Youth as consumers.Concept of Youth. Youth Studies Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham. Merton, R.,1968. Social Theory and Social Structure. Unknown STV, 2009. Survey shows Scots youth seen as criminals [online] STV. Availble at: [Accessed 16/05/10] The free dictionary, 2007. Define Stigma [online] The free Dictionary by Farlek. Availble at:< http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stigma > [Accessed 16/05/10]