Fear and Hopelessness
by Dr. De Mars
Several years ago, I attended a presentation by a researcher from Drew Medical Center, which, at the time, provided medical care to a part of Los Angeles that was poor, African-American and the heart of gang activity. The doctor said,
"In my years of experience, I have come to the conclusion that the greatest disadvantage of people living in communities of poverty is the absence of a meaningful future."
Father Greg Boyle, who founded Homeboy Industries to provide employment in another area of Los Angeles that is poor, Latino and with a high rate of gang activity said,
"I have never met a hopeful kid who joined a gang."
In his book, Truants from Life, Bruno Bettelheim describes one child as,
“Paul could not visualize any future for himself beyond expecting that nothing good would ever happen to him.”
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VIRTUAL LIBRARY LINK If I truly believe that no matter what I do, it will make no difference in my life, then why should I go back to school, study, look for a job or go to work in the morning? Learn more about what social learning theory says about people who lack motivation, how they got that way and what can be done to help them. |
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