Running Head: DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
Disrespect to Authority
Mary Kingslan Gibilisco
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
2
Disrespect to Authority
Many of adolescents’ actions are perceived as being disrespectful toward authority
figures such as parents, teachers and law enforcement. Respect between authority figures and
their subordinates needs to be mutual. This is especially important during adolescence. Society
needs to shift from the examination of how much respect we are receiving from youth, to how
much are we giving. Giving respect to teens is crucial in guiding them stay engaged as
participants in positive relationships and in society. According to Steinberg (2015) teenagers are
one of the most negatively stereotyped groups in America but we need their creativity, their
energy, and their idealism to carry us forward into the future with new ideas and solutions. This
engagement can only occur if youth are treated with respect.
The first authority figure that a child usually encounters is that of their parent. One cause
of adolescent disrespect toward the parental authority figure can be contributed to the overall
parenting style. The different parenting styles can then influence how willing the child is to
accept this adult as a legitimate authority (Cohn, Grundy, Rebellion & Trinkner, 2011). The three
distinct parenting styles are authoritative, authoritarian and permissive. Authoritative style is
when parents exert structured control over children, the parents are high in demandingness while
the parents are also very responsive to needs of the child. Authoritarian style is controlling, high
in demandingness but not responsive to needs of the child. Permissive is very responsive to the
needs of the child but low on structure and demandingness (Bano, Rani, & Leghari, 2019).
According to Steinberg (2015) the benefits of authoritative parenting are independent regardless
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
3
of socioeconomic, gender of child, marital status of parents, or ethnic background. The influence
of the style of authoritative parenting is so strong that it applies to all authority figures who use
this while working with others.
According to Cohn, et al. (2011) authoritative parenting style can foster less delinquent
behavior, such as disrespect, while authoritarian and permissive parenting can contribute to more
negative behavior over time. Research has shown that adolescents who view their parents as
overly controlling or coercive and authoritarian are more likely to reject parental authority
generally and to disobey their directives to a greater extent than adolescents who see their
parents’ authority as legitimate (Gingo, Roded & Turiel, 2017).
Adolescents with too much liberty, as witnessed in the permissive style, can lead to
delinquency and a general lack of respect. These parents strive to keep their children happy and
avoid setting limitation on the children (Levy, 2001). It is the parenting styles that influence
adolescents’ perceptions of parental legitimacy. Cohen, et al. (2010) informs that authoritative
parenting style contributes to an adolescent’s belief that his or her parents are legitimate
authorities. Conversely, both authoritarian and permissive parenting weaken such beliefs.
Therefore, parenting style can influence a child’s level of respect given to a parent due to both
the style and the perception of the child that the parent is an authority worthy of the child’s
respect.
However, according to Wray-Lake, Crouter, and McHale (2010) the changes in parent–
child dynamic such as the youth’s autonomy, which is to act out of one’s own volition and to
own an action, adolescents can become less satisfied with parents’ authority over their personal
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
4
lives as they mature. This can then lead to conflict and subsequently a lack of respect toward the
parent. According to Levy (2001) as a child enters adolescence, their logical and abstract skills
start to increase which can result in the youth’s tendency to question authority.
There is also a behavioral development in which an adolescent test the boundaries of the
new child-adult roles. As they grow older, adolescents naturally try to define their autonomy by
expressing more areas of their lives outside of parental authority. Adolescents are more likely to
feel autonomous when they are successful at managing their life, when they are given voice,
choices, responsibility and feel that their actions are meaningful (Divencha, 2017). When teens
are allowed to exercise this type of autonomy, it contributes to feeling respected by those in
authority (Wray-Lake, Crouter, & McHale, 2010). Research confirms that many types of positive
outcomes result when parents support autonomy. The adolescents are more collaborative with
adults, they rebel less and show more deference (Divencha, 2017).
Adolescents are often perceived as acting disrespectfully to law enforcement. During
police-citizen points of contact, police are expected to treat all individuals with respect and use
of force should be in proportion to each unique situation. However, there is a growing body of
evidence that suggests some populations that are viewed as inferior, which includes adolescents,
may not experience respectful police conduct as frequently as other dominant groups do.
Law enforcement often treat youth as a threat to order and in this way, police contribute
to their negative attitudes toward law enforcement. Such attitudes and perceived unfair treatment
during an interaction can lead juveniles to mistrust the police and show less respect during
interactions. This lack of respect can result in law enforcement officers changing their attitudes
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
5
toward youths, leading to a level of hostility that results in a negative youth–police encounter.
According to Novich and Hunt (2018) adolescents are more likely to comply with the law when
law enforcement is viewed as legitimate authority worthy of obedience.
Most adolescents place a great deal of importance on the level of politeness and respect
experienced during a face-to-face encounter with police. Many adolescents are likely to feel
disrespected by those who treat them rudely or with indifference toward their civil rights. The
resulting reaction can be a lack of respect toward this type of authority figure. Conversely, when
youth are treated with respect and view the authority as legitimate, they are more likely to show
support for the institution of law enforcement, cooperate with the police, notify them when laws
are broken and not violate the law themselves (Novich & Hunt, 2018).
There is a great deal of discretion and power given to the police. Law enforcement has
many different options when confronted with juvenile crime. For example, the officer may issue
a non-criminal citation and then a referral to social services, lecture the youth about making
better life choices, or handcuff the youth and place him or her in the police car. The officer can
then decide whether to take the youth to a local service provider, take him or her home or to the
local precinct.
If the youth goes to the precinct, the officer then has the option to book the youth for the
offense, give a warning, or a referral to attend diversion program. Once the youth is arrested and
charged, the statistics from 2011 inform that police referred 68% of arrested youth to juvenile
courts, 7% directly to adult courts, released 22% and 3% referred to some other service (Jenson
& Fraser, 2015). Therefore, it seems that this type of discretionary power given to police could
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
6
lead to abuse of power which leads to youth not viewing law enforcement as legitimate with a
potential result of lack of respect.
To create respect by adolescents toward authority figures, youth first must respect the
authority figure as a valid authority figure. This occurs due to mutual respect as with law
enforcement and the public. Parents can create this respect and have their children view them as
a legitimate authority figure mainly based on parenting style. Research has shown that the most
effective parenting style to achieve this goal is that of authoritative. However, if mutual respect
and legitimate authority concepts fail, there are strategies to use to either create respect or to
mitigate the effects of disrespect.
The main features of positive youth development are the characteristics of helping youth
achieve full potential youth by providing a full set of supports and opportunities, with society
collaborating to build capacity to support youth, society viewing youth not as problems that need
to be “fixed” but rather as partners to be engaged and developed and embracing the idea that
“problem free is not fully prepared” (Bogenschneider,1996). In order to have the best family
structure, findings have shown the effect of positive experiences, primarily through the family.
Research has shown that families can produce positive outcomes through positive youth
development by building protective factors such as parental resilience, social connections,
knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in the times of need, and social
and emotional competence in children (Hanson et al., 2019).
When the family structure does not include proper parenting such as the authoritative
style, the hierarchical structure of the family may be inverted resulting with the teen having more
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
7
power than the parents. The resulting behavior can be disrespectful and potentially dangerous. If
the family seeks outside authority assistance such as law enforcement or hospitalization, their
authority is lessened, the troubled youth gains more power and even more disrespect can occur.
To correct this situation, parents need to regain control of the family by learning neutralizing
techniques such as walking away from a disrespectful situation without giving an explanation.
Youth need an audience to be disrespectful. Other ways to mitigate long term disrespectful
behavior within the family is through the loss of privileges, grounding, loss of transportation or
instituting predetermined fines for predetermined disrespectful behavior (Sells, 2004).
The brain of the youth is undergoing major changes that will continue into early
adulthood. Because the prefrontal cortex is still developing, teenagers might rely on a part of
the brain called the amygdala to make decisions and solve problems more than adults do. The
amygdala is associated with emotions, impulses, aggression and instinctive behavior (Brenhouse
& Andersen, 2011). Therefore due to the inability to regulate emotions and behavior, youth may
become disrespectful merely due to their current brain structure. Understanding that disrespect
may actually be the “brain’s fault” could help those in authority to not respond with anger,
frustration or disrespect. According to Jensen and Ellis Nutt (2015), youth may show disrespect
for many reasons. For example, it may be because they are overwhelmed. Therefore adults can
avoid a disrespectful encounter if this scientific fact is respected. Jensen and Ellis Nutt (2015)
suggests that techniques such as writing down instructions and helping youth organize their
world could mitigate a negative encounter.
In conclusion, an ongoing concern of those in authority, such as parents, teachers and law
enforcement, is that of receiving respect from youth. Youth are willing to give respect to
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
8
authority but only if they find the authority to be legitimate. This legitimacy occurs with parental
authority when the proper parenting style of authoritative is utilized. In parenting style, the
parents give the child structure coupled with responsiveness. Additionally, the parents have the
proper power and control within the family. If youth are given autonomy coupled with voice and
choice, they are also more willing to act in a respectful manner. In a similar way, in general,
youth will respect law enforcement if they are treated fairly by this authority figure.
Understanding that the adolescent brain is undergoing major changes and that adolescents may
be relying on a part of the brain that is more emotional than that of an adult could help explain
when youth are acting in disrespectful manner.
Lastly, some youth are troubled and display extreme disrespect and are not merely
undergoing the usual maturation process. In these more extreme cases, the family structure
should be examined. If the hierarchy is reversed, steps should be taken to restore a balanced
family using professional counseling techniques. Reiterating the knowledge shared by Steinberg
(2015), society needs the creativity, energy, and idealism of youth to help bring us their new
ideas and solutions and this can only occur if society recogniz adolescents as group worthy of
ongoing respect.
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
9
References
Bogenschneider, K. (1996). An ecological risk/protective theory for building prevention
programs, policies, and community capacity to support youth. Family Relations, 45(2),
127-138. doi:10.2307/585283
Brenhouse, H. C., & Andersen, S. L. (2011). Developmental trajectories during adolescence in
males and females: A cross-species understanding of underlying brain
changes. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 35(8), 1687–1703.
Development Services Group, Inc. 2018. “Interactions between Youth and Law Enforcement.”
Literature review. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Interactions-Youth-LawEnforcement.pdf
Divecha, D. (2017). Teenagers might have a problem with respect but it's not the one you think.
Retrieved from https://www.developmentalscience.com/blog/2017/11/29/teenagersmight-have-a-problem-with-respect-but-its-not-the-one-you-think
Levy, K. S. (2001). The relationship between adolescent attitudes towards, authority, selfconcept, and delinquency. Adolescence, 36(142), 333-346.
Hanson, C., Crandall, A., Barnes, M., Magnusson, B., Novilla, M., & King, J. (2019). Familyfocused public health: supporting homes and families in policy and practice. Frontiers in
Public Health, 7. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00059
Jenson, J. M., & Fraser, M. W. (Eds.). (2015). Social policy for children and families: A risk and
resilience perspective (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
DISRESPECT TO AUTHORITY
10
Jensen, F. and Ellis Nutt, A., (2015). The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to
Raising Adolescents and Young Adults. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
Novich, M., & Hunt, G. (2016). “Get off me”: Perceptions of disrespectful police behaviour
among ethnic minority youth gang members. Drugs: Education, Prevention and
Policy, 24(3), 248-255. doi: 10.1080/09687637.2016.1239697
Sells, S., (2004). Treating the Tough Adolescent. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Steinberg, L. S., (2014). Age of Opportunity. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Wray-Lake, L., Crouter, A., & McHale, S. (2010). Developmental patterns in decision-making
autonomy across middle childhood and adolescence: European American parents’
perspectives. Child Development, 81(2), 636-651. doi: 10.1111/j.1D4678624.2009.01420.x