Substance Abuse and Teenage Violence - Assignment Example

? Reflection Paper- Substance Abuse and Teenage Violence Reflection Paper- Substance Abuse and Reflection Paper I mentioned in my research proposal that it has always been a hot topic of debate whether teenage violence is a result of biological factors, or environmental/evolutionary conditions are also responsible for it. Although I have proposed that teenage violence is a result of an environmental factor; i.e., substance abuse; yet, I came across some very strong opposing viewpoints that emphasized that teenage violence is solely related to biological factors (Ferguson, 2008, p.321) or, in other words, genetics (Tehrani and Mednick, 2000). In this regard, here I shall mention two viewpoints that are opposing to mine. First, I read that psychological disorders like Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), at later stages, get converted into Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder; and, these disorders are responsible for the development of violence in a teen’s personality. The causes of ODD are mostly biological. Similarly, Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) is a psychiatric condition in which the individual becomes violent and violates other people’s rights because APD snatches away from the individual any regard for what is rights and what is wrong. Other biological factors that are responsible for violence which include borderline personality disorder, depression, pathological lying, and abnormal personality traits (Siegel, 2008, p.286). Second opposing view I read was that damages or injuries to specific delicate areas of a child’s brain can cause his behavior to suffer. Neurotransmitters, that are chemicals present in the brain, can also be held responsible for ODD as their abnormal levels in the brain hinder with the proper communication of neurons with each other causing their messages to not being transmitted throughout the nervous system. Studies have also blamed the damage to orbitofrontal cortex chemical (Browner and Price, 2001, p. 720), and low level of chemical serotonin to be chiefly responsible for oppositional, defiant, hostile and violent behavior (Slap, 2008; Kotulak, 1997, p. 78). Aggression and violent behavior that occurs after puberty also involve abnormality in the hormone, testosterone. 2. It all began when I heard that my cousin had been caught in a severe fight with other teenagers in his neighborhood. He injured the other guys with fists and punches, and got himself bruised too. Nobody ever knew that he was also into drugs. We already knew that he used to have fights in school and with siblings, but the news that he was involved in drugs came like a bombshell to the whole family. His use of substance was depressing, and that incident in which the police came and arrested him, aroused in me a desire to learn more about the effects on substance abuse on teenagers’ minds. I wanted to learn whether substance abuse was a major cause behind a teen violating the rights of others, breaking laws, and indulging in fights and disputes in the school and at home. I wanted to learn how common the prevalence of substance use among teen students was; and, what did they think about the relation between substance use and teen violence. I also wanted to consult a health expert to increase my knowledge about this issue, since I wanted to inform my cousin’s parents that it was a medical issue and could be solved through medical guidance. 3. When I reviewed the literature, I came to know that most of the past research is based on emphasizing the fact that a large number of teenagers are getting involved in substance abuse; and, that substance abuse exists with many other factors that finally lead to teen violence. Most of the research talks about teen dating violence, and not generally on teen violence. I did not find any research paper that compared the two groups of teen students: one that was involved in substance abuse and the other that was not involved in such activity. I thought that a comparative research was very important in determining the effects of substance abuse on teenagers’ minds and the relation between the indulgence in substance use and violence; and thus, this thought made me construct the methodology of a comparative research. The past research does focus on the fact that teenage violence is the result of environmental factors, but there is not much literature that talks mainly about the teenage violence in relation with substance abuse. I also found that researchers have much argued about teenage violence being an environmental or a biological factor, and I have mentioned this in my literature review. My comparative research methodology is helpful in determining that substance abuse is one of the biggest environmental factors responsible for teenage violence. 4. First of all, I think that my research is different from past research because it compares results obtained from the two groups of teenagers: one that is involved in substance abuse and the other that is not involved in any such activity. It will be noted which of the two groups is more involved in teenage violence. As I mentioned earlier, a comparative research is very important in obtaining an exact idea about the accuracy of results. Second, none of the past research involves three kinds of research methodologies in one research- comparative qualitative research; qualitative research with parents and teachers; and, structured interview with a health expert. I believed that the three kinds of processes would be the best method in determining the most accurate results ever possible. Another unique quality of this research is that the teenagers will be encouraged to mention their personal narratives at the end of the questionnaires. However, I have also mentioned some discrepancies of my proposed research, which proves that I am not being over-confident and am totally aware of which direction I am taking my research into. Along with all the unique qualities, I understand that my research has some limitations regarding the sample size and population diversity. In the end of the proposal, I have mentioned these limitations; and, have also mentioned how these discrepancies can be removed in the future research papers. In short, my proposed research is going to be unique because it is a comparative research; and second, it is a combination of questionnaires and an interview. References Browner, MC., & Price, BH. (2001). Advances in neuropsychiatry. J NeurolNeurosurg Psychiatry, 71, pp. 720-726. Ferguson, C.J. (2008). An evolutionary approach to understanding violent antisocial behavior: diagnostic implications for a dual-process etiology. Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, 8(4), 321-343. Kotulak, R. (1997). How the brain gets damaged. Inside the Brain: Revolutionary Discoveries of How the Mind Works. United States of America: Andrews McMeel Publishing. Seigel, L.J. (2008). The causes of violence. Criminology. USA: Cengage Learning. Slap, G. (2008). Epidemiology. Adolescent Medicine. USA: Elsevier Health Sciences. Tehrani, J., &Mednick, S. (2000). Genetic factors and criminal behavior. Federal Probation, 64, 24-28. Read More