Question

(5-7 good thought out sentences) simple.

Every week for a month, two minority males between the ages oof 14-17 have been murdered in stockton. Many think the problem is gang related. You’ve noticed youth in your family and former middle school are hanging out with known gang members and their behaviors are changing.

What are immediate, short and long term actions you can identify and implement towards solutions.

Answer 1

attitude includes emotions, beliefs and behaviors towards an object person or thing. they are a resultant of the experiences and the surroundings and effect are behaviors strongly. attitudes can be defined as a learned tendency towards peopel objects things events etc which help us evaluate them. these can be either positive or negative. there are different components of attitude-

affective component- this is related to feelings

behavioral component- this is related to behaviors

cognitive component- this is related to thoughts and beliefs

experiences help in forming and changing the attitudes as they result from observations and direct person contact. social norms and roles also determine attitudes. it refers to the expected behaviors of people and the apropriate behaviors of individuals as per the societal rules. attitudes effect are behavior but this is not always true.

there are different stages of behavior change as developed by Prochaska and DiClemente. originally it was developed for smoking cessation but it can be used for behaviotr change in general.

1. Precontemplation- this stage involves that part where we have never thought about changing our behavior effectively. even if we get a review of changing it from otherss we react to it negatively. here we are made to actually think of the effectiveness of these changes or the positive reactions to such reviews. this is an immediate action that can be taken to change behavior because as soon as we start thinking about change it actually gets reflected in our behavior slightly. in the above mentioned case it is important that the friends neighbours and family of thoe children present the logic behind why the gang members are bad and why shouldnt they be negaging much with them. these logics can make them think a bit about changing their company.
2. Contemplation- this is a short term action which can extend to xa long term action also. In this stage the idea of changing our behavior actually entitles in our mind. its all about activation if motivating belief. in this stage the severe obstacles are faced by the individual and if they are not overcomed by them then they either leave it or they start looking for other reasons tob get going. xin the former case the positive behvior change doesnt take place but in the later case it actually strengthens. in the above case again after presenting the idea of why they should change further support and reasoning ids required to be done with them so that they find a reason to change their behavior and start doing it. also the support whether emotionally mentally or financially should be provided by the people so as to help them overcome the obstacles.
3. Determination- this is the preparatory stage for action. it involves mental and physical preparation for action. a scheedule is prepared with all the quit and the start days which drives us to achieve our goal. a deeply held belief towards the positive change requirement is needed for it. this is a short term action leading to long term as determination is required till the time the goal is not attained. in the above case after listening to so many people we believe we should not interact with the group and this determination will help them ignore the gang and move on. this is related to making a new habit by negative association making the old habit less desirable leading to the inducing of change.
4. action- after this the action plan is carried out and the process of change starts. this is a long term action as ythe action will slowly and gradually help us change the behavior. in the above case the action plan like ignoring the group, not communicating or meeting them, trying to make excuses for that will ultimately result in maintainence of the distance from them over time. this involves beginning of new behavior as the old behavior has been removed.
5. maintenance- it is an ongoing process. this involves actually working on the action plan and changing the behhavior and even after the change has been brought carrying it forward for the lifetime. maintainig a change is quiet difficultbut the determination and action plan help us do it. in the above case when the people from gang try to talk or eet you over and over again it is neccessary that you stick to your deccision and be firm to not interact with them and hence maintain the ignorant behavior till they dont back off. this involves the continuation of the new behavior as it has replaced the old behavior.