Youth, law and authority: how young people learn to respect laws

• Grant number: 14/00976-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2014
• End date: February 28, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Law
• Principal Investigator: Sergio França Adorno de Abreu
• Grantee: Nikolaos Stamatakis
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/07923-7 - Center of the Study of Violence - NEV/USP, AP.CEPID

Abstract

"Authority" is not an easily measurable notion. Nevertheless, this study conducts a primary review of overall trends, which are regarded as indicative of authority, becoming a stepping-stone for studying impact of authority on youth's respect and trust in laws, norms and regulations. The present research is focused on Brazil, scrutinizing the concepts of authority and normative compliance by addressing the causal steps between youth, laws and authority. To achieve this aim, it employs qualitative methodological tools in order to identify how youth - born in the year 2000 and living in different contexts within the city of São Paulo - perceive the concept of authority, and how they develop obedience in laws, norms and regulations. Interviews with police officers, teachers, and parents seek to examine youth's attitudes, values, and beliefs about authority, followed by measurements of their actual experience with authority figures.