Madhavan Sangeetha, Crowell Jacqueline
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA and MRC / WITS Agincourt University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
J Adolesc Res. 2014 Nov;29(6):716-737. doi: 10.1177/0743558413502535.
In this paper, we examine how Black youth in rural South Africa construct role models and connect them to their own life aspirations. We pay particular attention to individual and group identity development in shaping these perceptions. Based on analysis of qualitative data from 99 Black male and female youth aged 14-22, we find that 1) the choice of role models reflects a balancing strategy to reconcile individual and group identity development; 2) while the reasons they give for choosing role models are aligned with dominant models of upward mobility in the new South Africa (and globally), our respondents are also attuned to the difficulty of attaining such success and 3) the choices underscore the continued importance of close and extended kin amidst an increasingly ego focused life strategy aimed at individual status attainment. These findings can contribute to strengthening the effectiveness of intervention programs aimed at strengthening positive influences in the lives of Black youth in South Africa.
在本文中，我们研究了南非农村地区的黑人青年如何构建榜样并将其与自己的生活抱负联系起来。我们特别关注个体和群体身份认同发展在塑造这些认知方面的作用。基于对99名年龄在14至22岁之间的黑人青年（男女皆有）的定性数据分析，我们发现：1）榜样的选择反映了一种平衡策略，以协调个体和群体身份认同的发展；2）虽然他们选择榜样的理由与新南非（乃至全球）向上流动的主流模式一致，但我们的受访者也意识到实现这种成功的困难；3）这些选择凸显了在以追求个人地位为目标、日益以自我为中心的生活策略中，亲密和广义亲属关系持续具有的重要性。这些发现有助于提高旨在增强对南非黑人青年生活产生积极影响的干预项目的有效性。
