Critical Consciousness Development and Political Participation Among Marginalized Youth

Abstract

Given associations between critical consciousness and positive developmental outcomes, and given racial, socioeconomic, and generational disparities in political participation, this article examined contextual antecedents of critical consciousness (composed of sociopolitical control and social action) and its consequences for 665 marginalized youth's (ages 15-25) voting behavior. A multiple indicator and multiple causes (MIMIC) model examined racial, ethnic, and age differences in the measurement and means of latent constructs. The structural model suggested that parental and peer sociopolitical support predicts sociopolitical control and social action, which in turn predicts voting behavior, while controlling for civic and political knowledge, race/ethnicity, and age. This illuminates how micro-level actors foster critical consciousness and how the perceived capacity to effect social change and social action participation may redress voting disparities.

What Does Healthy Sex Look Like among Youth? Towards a Skills-Based Model for Promoting Adolescent Sexuality Development

“…Within an RDST framework, the skill of analysis is related to recognizing and understanding how social structures, cultural meanings, interpersonal pressures, and internal states all shape one's own feelings, Human Development 2014;57:259-286 DOI: 10.1159/000367856 278 Arbeit behaviors, and experiences [Diemer & Li, 2011;Elder & Shanahan, 2006;Lerner, 2006]. Analysis is not just a cognitive exercise, but a process of living in an embodied relationship with a complex and contradictory social world [Fischer & Bidell, 2006;Overton, 2013].…”

Warm and Supportive Parenting Can Discourage Offspring’s Civic Engagement in the Transition to Adulthood

“…Parents may also promote youth civic engagement more directly, via conveying the values of social justice and responsibility, discussing news and politics at home, and modeling civic activities such as voting and volunteering (Flanagan 2003(Flanagan , 2013Pancer & Pratt 1999). These latter pathways of influence are well established from prior research (Diemer & Li 2011;Mustillo, Wilson, & Lynch 2004;Smetana & Metzger 2005), but they are mostly limited to the social networks of already engaged individuals.…”

“…Some warm and supportive parents may inadvertently discourage political activism by socializing their children to regard interpersonal conflict as harmful, if not to avoid it altogether (Koerner & Fitzpatrick 2004). Although developmental literature has addressed parental influences (e.g., political discussion at home) on the development of critical consciousness (i.e., critical awareness of social inequalities and injustice and action to bring about social change), especially in marginalized youth (Diemer & Li 2011), the role of broader characteristics of parenting in the development of political activism has received less attention. Regarding volunteering, both positive (Mahatmya & Lohman 2012;Fletcher et al 2000;Gagné 2003;Pancer et al 2007) and negative (Omoto & Snyder 1995; effects of supportive family have been found.…”

Assessing Empowerment at HSIs: An Adapted Inputs-Environments-Outcomes Model

“…A strong ethnic identity is linked to ethnic consciousness, which manifests in positive self-perceptions of students themselves and pride in attending an HSI (Rendón et al, 2014). Similarly, the development of critical consciousness, as well as a social justice orientation, among students of color is associated with a plethora of positive outcomes, such as academic engagement, career development and attainment, and political participation (Diemer & Li, 2011). Thus, the consideration of how HSIs affect these aspects of Latinx students' personal development seems essential to their empowerment and future success in multiple areas of their lives.…”