Influence of gender socialization on violent ambition
Assessing the socio-psychological imperatives of parenting in South-Eastern Nigeria
Keywords:
socialization, gender socialization, violent ambition, parent-child expectations, violent behaviourAbstract
The study investigated gender socialization as it influences violent ambition among adolescents. Thus, the work examines violent behaviour from point of view of how the child is gendered; parent-child expectations – where the child is an active observer. Three hundred and forty seven (347) secondary school students participated in the study. Their age ranged between 14 and 18 years, with a mean age of 15.3 years. The instrument for data collection is the Violent Ambition Scale (VAS) developed by the researchers. The study hypothesized that a significant difference would exist between males and females on violent ambition. Analyses of result using One-way ANOVA revealed a significant influence of gender socialization on violent ambition, F(1,345) = 56.32, p < . 01. The result therefore suggests that violent acquisition of wealth is mostly determined by the somewhat exaggerated gender role expectations imposed upon the male folks by the society in which they grow.
