Year: 1996
Type: article
Abstract: The central thesis of this dissertaticn is that boredom is an important, unrecognized factor in the etiology of violence perpetrated by adolmcents, with the result that school programs designed tct prevent violence are missing an important dimension.Theories of boredom from the fields of industrial and educational psychology, psychoandyiical and existential psychiatry, criminology, and sociu-cultural history are integrated into a maceptud fr-amework to understand boredom.I propose that there are two kinds of boredomf transient and chronic, each of which is expressed as either sensation-seeking or meaning-seeking.Depending upon genetic makeup, personality, and e~tvironmental factors, the adokscent may respond in adaptive or maladaptive ways to the drive to seek sensation or meaning.Maladaptive respor~ses, which are the concern of this study, are destmctive of self or others, and indude delinquency, substance abuse, and violence, as well as emotional withdrawal suicidal ideation.Characteristics of youth at high risk for boredom are found to bear close similarity to those of youth at high risk for violence.I argue that boredom is largely a learned refpore to situations of constraint and inadequate sh=&G0it, and propose that for =me youth iit !eat, boredom may be a -ble trigger to, a n d a justii3ation for violence.Current violence prevention programs in use in North American schools are acamined for factors that might reduce boredom by ii i providing increased stimulation or meaning.Although possible sources of meaning may vary horn person to person, they commonly duster around reiationships, c o d m a t to a work, personal stance toward suffering, and k k f system.Recsomendatiom for schools have the god of helping students increase meaning in their lives by building connectedness with others, with their environment, with their sense of purpose in life, and with their belief system.
Source: Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Author: Mary‐Wynne Ashford
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W907619806