THE IMPACT OF FAMILY BACKGROUND ON ADOLESCENT ENGAGEMENT IN RITUALISM (A CASE STUDY OF OGUN STATE)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

When it comes to ensuring a society's continued existence, one of the most essential institutions is the family. As the primary building block of every group, the family functions as a divine educational institution, entrusted with the responsibility of molding its members into future adults in terms of both their social and spiritual development (Njama-Abang, 2006; Christian, 2005; Leshe, 1979). Eyo (2002) asserts that the family unit is a social entity that is controlled by norms established by society. The members of this family, as well as society as a whole, depend on these guidelines to secure their continued existence. Not only does the learning of the family make the process of procreation easier, but it also makes it possible for members of a culture to acquire the values, attitudes, skills, and procedures that are unique to that culture (Kalu, 2008; Njama-Abang, 2006).

The background of one's family tends to be most obvious in a child's life in the form of social contacts, particularly with teenagers who have greater economic resources (Harju, 2008). The primary function of the family unit is not just reproduction; rather, it is to facilitate the learning of a society's norms, beliefs, practices, information, and skills (Wattesubeag, 1973, Eyo, 2002 and Christian, 2005). According to Christian (2005), members of the same family are inexorably bound to one another since they have a same living arrangement in addition to a genetic or marital bond. As a consequence of this fact, members of the family each exert both a good and a negative impact on the other members. In a similar vein, Kalu (2005) stated that it is not an exaggeration to assert that an individual's parental background has an influence on the individual's ability to socially adjust. This is to claim that the parental background of the adolescent student has a twofold impact or influence on the adolescent's or student's overall social development.

Having a shared family background and material resources can help people feel more connected to one another (Pugh, 2009; Buckingham, 2011). Furthermore, having friends with similar resources can help strengthen friendships (Hakovirta & Rantalaiho, 2012). This is especially true for adolescents (Croghan et al., 2006), both at school and in their spare time (Korkiamaki & Ellonen, 2011). It would appear that social status and power are bestowed onto those with a prominent family, but a lack of economic resources may lead to feelings of humiliation, discrimination, and social marginalization (van der Hoek, 2005; Walker, 2014). According to Attree (2006), teenagers who originate from families with poor incomes are more likely than adolescents from other households to face bullying and social exclusion. Additionally, several studies establish a relationship between family background and adolescents' engagement in risky behaviors (Chiu 2015). Even while a person's family background is not the only element determining a person's feeling of belonging and socialization, it does play a part in both of these aspects of a person's life. Teenagers who are subjected to family hierarchies are more likely to experience feelings of guilt and stress, both of which have a detrimental effect on their mental and physical health as well as their sense of self-worth. It has been shown that people have a tendency to generate self-perceptions that conform to, justify, and replicate the hierarchy of the society that they live. This tendency may be traced back to evolutionary psychology (Jost et al., 2004).

According to Imaobong (2002), poverty, ignorance, poor parenting, and poor movies produce angry and rebellious children. These factors have also been identified as important contributors to adolescent ritualism. [Citation needed] [Citation needed] [Citation needed] [Citation needed] [Citation needed] [Citation needed] [Citation Our traditional norms have been seriously undermined over the past few years or so by the pursuit of vanity or material life, as evidenced by the various contents of foreign media that are brought directly into the hearts of our children and wards by means of cable satellites, which we willingly purchase with our earnings in order to keep up with the latest fashions as parents who want to be in style. Throughout history, children have showed respect for all adults in exchange for being protected and receiving an appropriate level of instruction and education. One of the factors that contributed to such deterioration was the breakdown of traditional family institutions.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Our children and adolescents have been held accountable for an enormous number of wrongdoings and criminal acts, especially in recent years (Imaobong, 2002). Many psychologists have defined adolescent engagement as the ability to adapt to social activities, the ability to cope with predetermined standards of behavior, the ability to master challenges in interacting with one's environment and developing a good conscience, and the ability to deal appropriately with anxiety and conflict. [Citation needed] (Kalu, 2008; Delvega and Juada, 1998; Ozoemena, 2002).

However, the disintegration of family institutions is at the foundation of society's degradation as a result of moral degeneration. This has a detrimental effect on the healthy engagement of teenagers, which contributes to the deterioration of society. As a direct consequence of this, fundamental rules such as "thou shalt not kill," "thou shalt not steal," "thou shalt not encourage homosexuality, rape, incest, prostitution, or truancy for monetary gain," and so on are violated.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of family background on adolescent engagement in ritualism (a case study of Ogun state). Other objectives of this study are:

1. To examine the extent family background influences adolescent engagement in ritualism.
2. To examine the role of parents upbringing in adolescent engagement in ritualism
3. To examine the role of family level of education in adolescent engagement in ritualism
4. To examine the role of family religious beliefs in adolescent engagement in ritualism

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. To what extent does family background influence adolescent engagement in ritualism?
2. Does parents upbringing play a role in adolescent engagement in ritualism?
3. Does family level of education play a role in adolescent engagement in ritualism?
4. Does family religious beliefs play a role in adolescent engagement in ritualism?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The following null hypotheses will validate this study:

H01: Parents upbringing does not play a role in adolescent engagement in ritualism

H02: Family level of education does not play a role in adolescent engagement in ritualism.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be beneficial to the society as it will reveal the influence of family background on adolescent engagement in ritualism. It will also reveal the effects of parents upbringing, family level of education and family religious beliefs has on adolescents engagement in ritualism.

This study will serve as a material for researchers who may for one reason or the other carryout research on topics related the one under study.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will be focusing on the impact of family background on adolescent engagement in ritualism. It will also be focusing on the extent family background influences adolescent engagement in ritualism, the role of family upbringing in adolescent engagement in ritualism and the role of family religious beliefs in adolescent engagement in ritualism.

This study will be using residents of Abeokuta, Ogun State as enrolled participants for the survey.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Like all human endeavour, this research work was not without some factors that tended to jeopardize the smooth completion of the study. One of the factors is on the fact that the period of time allowed for this work was short that the researcher did not have enough time to do a thorough job.

Also the researcher in the course of data collection, had to put in extra effort to interpreting interviews schedule of the respondents, some who fall within the in comprehensible age limit. Additionally, there were financial and transit constraints.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Impact: a marked effect or influence

Family background: set of social, economic, cultural, and welfare characteristics of a family, which has been proved by continuous multi-scale education research to be an influential factor in determining student achievement.