The purpose of this research is to examine the dominant narrative of adolescence/juvenile delinquency and to question what makes this discourse possible. I use a poststructuralist perspective that thoroughly questions, dismantles, reveals, and analyzes this discourse in order to uncover hidden or obscure motives that shape how we understand adolescent individuals. Keeping in mind that everything is a construction, I investigate how the discourse works rather than what it means, and in the process I search for whether or not power or some type of oppression is involved. While conducting the interrogation and analysis procedure of the dominant narrative, I compare the term scarcity, which implies close-mindedness, manipulation, and control, and abundance, which implies open-mindedness, flexibility, and generosity, in terms of which the dominant narrative more clearly represents. As this ongoing analytical process takes place, I also consider the desirability and need to write a new narrative of adolescence/juvenile delinquency
With qualitative research as the framework, I adopt a methodology grounded in narrative inquiry: open, flexible methodology promotes new understandings and different meanings. Narrative inquiry involves storiesit is a space for understanding experiences. This study inspects different types of stories: historical stories, stories related to the influence of constructed labels and identity formation, a story presented in poetic form of an individual who spent time in a juvenile prison, and my story; an autoethnography of my experience during the thirty-three years I worked in a juvenile prison.
As the researcher, my endeavor is to develop greater self-understanding, a better understanding of others; to give voice to the stories of marginalized adolescent/juvenile delinquent population that are seldom heard; and to promote an expanded social awareness in
readers that will help them develop more empathetic thinking. Having concluded that the dominant narrative of adolescence/juvenile delinquency is steeped in an attitude of scarcity, I suggest that a new narrative based on abundance is needed. This new narrative will not know the meaning of scarcity. It will only recognize the concept of caring and encourage positive relationships, an aura of plenty, open-mindedness, generosity, tolerance, understanding, forgiveness, and individual dignity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-04192012-131025 |
| Date | 20 April 2012 |
| Creators | Fry, Marianne |
| Contributors | Egéa-Kuehne, D., Doll, W., Hendry, P., Hoffman, P., Jolly, J. |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04192012-131025/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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