Single Parenting: An Act of Deviance

By. Mark Geaslen 
 

Single Parenting has been viewed in the past as deviant, but over the years it has become more socially acceptable. Today society views single parenting less supportive than having 2 parent families. Our society believes a child with one parent behaves in a deviant behavior. Therefore, kids tend to act in an uncivil manner. They are usually less attentive, not well responding and stubborn. According to Laurance Steinberg in his article “Single Parents, Stepparents, and the Susceptibility of Adolescents to Antisocial.” He includes data that stated children who live in a single parent home are more likely to engage in deviant behavior.” Also in the article “Single Parent Homes Effect On Adolescence” by Milena Abreu, she explains that these kids are not monitored as much with a single parent than with two parent families. “Understanding the family structure can have an important role in the intervention and prevention of deviant behavior in the child. More parental monitoring was associated with less delinquency in a single parent household.” (Abrue) These children attain their personality and behavior patterns from their parents. If the parent is not around at all, due to work or other reasons, the child will end up learning deviant behaviors either from friends or others. Children learn from interacting with their parents, and if their parent is gone then a child will engage in deviant behaviors. Abreu explains this through the control theory. “Control theory views lack of supervision as a disrupted, parent child bonding seen in single parent homes. The less time the parent interacts with the child, the more time the child has to engage in deviant activities.” (Abreu) Therefore, society believes that children in a single parent home lack the ability to learn social norms. Since these children do not learn the correct norms, they tend to have a problem with controlling themselves toward authority. If there isn’t a parent around to discipline them, then they believe they are in control of themselves and others around. Parents are supposes to teach their child respect, manners and norms. Children with one parent are given a nanny or a baby sitter sometimes because their parents are unable to be home. This could really affect the child’s behavior. “Researchers illustrate that children from a single parent or stepfamily may have lower levels of control placed on them then children from a biological households.” (Abrue) Society believes that single parenting causes children to become deviant, so this causes the parent to be viewed as an irresponsible parent. I am from a 2 parent family, but I have many friends who are not, and I have seen emotional struggle from them. Single parenting does not address that a kid will be deviant, but it can cause a child to lean toward the deviant side.

http://www.usfsm.edu/academics/cas/capstone/2010-2011/interdisciplinary%20social%20sciences/abreu-single%20parent%20homes%20effect%20on%20adolescence.pdf

Steinberg, L. Single Parents, Stepparents, and the Susceptibility of Adolescents to Antisocial Peer Pressure. Child Development, Vol. 58, No.1 (Feb., 1987), pp. 269-275