Negotiating an identity in an Alternative to Incarceration program.
Item
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Title
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Negotiating an identity in an Alternative to Incarceration program.
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Identifier
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AAI3144122
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identifier
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3144122
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Creator
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Minian, Nadia.
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Contributor
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Adviser: David Bearison
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Date
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2004
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Developmental | Sociology, Criminology and Penology
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Abstract
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The impact of being sentenced to an Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) program was the study of investigation for this dissertation. Starting from a Vygotskian, socio historical theory and narrative theory, the identities of ATI clients were conceptualized as social positions that developed through a historical process.;The aim of the present study was to understand how youth transform their identities at an ATI program in New York City. This period of transition was not conceptualized through focusing on a single aspect of living, as many investigations are, but rather through examining the overall life structure, which requires the consideration of both the self and the world. Thus, the present study can be seen as an application of the Vygotsky/Scribner framework which posits that, in order to understand a psychological system such as identity, one has to also understand the general history of humanity, the history of individual societies, and the life history of the individual in society.;Data collection included semi-structured life history interviews with fifteen participants (eight male and seven female participants). The interviews were coded using NUD*IST 6, using both an inductive and a deductive process. Themes and patterns across the interviews were identified and presented as the content analysis. Two case histories were created to contextualize how the themes gain importance in individual lives.;Findings indicated that after participating in an ATI for three months, most participants developed a "hybrid" identity that incorporated both the experience and expectations of the ATI and prior positive and negative school, family and community influences. Gender identity played a key role in the processes by which participants' constructed an identity during their adolescent years.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
