| Abstract: |
This dissertation is based on nearly five years of ethnographic fieldwork conducted through two federally-funded projects to improve services for youngsters with, or at risk for, serious emotional disturbances in a semi-rural community in Hawai'i. A significant minority of residents, primarily members of the socioeconomic underclass, suffer the effects of what one informant termed “a serious anger problem,” as reflected in high rates of domestic violence, child abuse, violent crime, and referrals of youngsters for mental health services due to recurring interpersonal conflict. The goal of this dissertation is to describe and compare common sets of understandings which underlie talk concerning: (1) why many youngsters become “troubled and troubling” as evidenced by normatively excessive or inappropriate anger, and (2) what should be done about this problem, at both individual and community levels. For analytic purposes, three primary groups are identified whose members tend to share similar understandings, presented in terms of <italic>cultural models</italic>, presumed cognitive structures which simplify and make manageable the individual's stream of cognitive-emotional interactions with the complex outside environment. These models were derived from analysis of 188 descriptions of situations of anger and of 50 descriptions of situations in which anger was prevented or ameliorated, with primary data sources including audiotaped interviews with more than 50 individuals, videotapes of two offerings of a course on cultural competence in serving Native Hawaiians conducted by <italic>kūpuna</italic> (respected elders), and extensive field notes. In line with the tenets of American individualism, <italic>service providers </italic> generally focus on poor social and parenting skills as well as low self-esteem and promote services aimed at imparting skills and boosting self-esteem. <italic> Native Hawaiian traditionalists</italic> tend to attribute anger problems to cultural loss due to Western influences and therefore champion a return to traditional values and strengthening Native Hawaiian identity. Members of the community mainstream are more likely to place moral blame on the generally underclass parents of youngsters perceived as troubled and troubling, with the basic solution being to give such youngsters the love and attention (which may need to include strict discipline) their parents are failing to give them.
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