Can Martial Arts be used for treatment of Juvenile Delinquency?

How does Martial Arts impact social behavior? In the last cast, we discussed the Bushido characteristic of Benevolence. Showing kindness in this day and age is easier than it was with the Samurai. How can we apply benevolence today?

Today, we will look at specifically at the issue of juvenile delinquency. The UN lists juvenile delinquency as a global problem. First, we will look at the causes of Juvenile Delinquency. Secondly, review studies that have looked at Martial Arts as a treatment for social behavior of youths.

What is juvenile delinquency?

Let us define Juvenile delinquency as young people aged 10 to 18 that commit unlawful acts. According to the United States Department of Justice, certain risk factors can potentially lead children to commit various unlawful acts. Risk factors include, socioeconomic status, abusive parents, low IQ, mental/ physical problems, family conflict, and neighborhood areas with crime and drugs. 

Can martial arts help alleviate juvenile delinquency? The United Nations states "It is believed that early phase intervention represents the best approach to preventing juvenile delinquency". So would Martial Arts represent a type of early phase intervention? Let us take a look at some studies.

What does research show?

Lets start 30 years ago in 1985. A study by Michael E Trulson of Texas A&M University showed that Tae Kwon Do training was a possible treatment for Juvenile Delinquency. One group received the traditional teachings of Tae Kwon Do which included philosophical, psychological aand physical aspects of the martial art. The second group received only physical aspects of Tae Kwon Do. The results illuminated that students involved in the traditional Tae Kwon D showed signs of increased self esteem, less aggressiveness and anxiety, where the second group showed increased aggressiveness.

1. Ten years later, Mark Weiser wrote in the American Journal of Psychotherapy,  "Martial arts have come to be seen in the psychological literature as a comprehensive approach to both physical and mental health. The martial arts enhance self-esteem through the provision of physical activity and group experience, and the teaching of relaxation, concentration, assertiveness, and directness and honesty in communication" hus, they are understood to be a legitimate form of therapy, for both "neurotic" and some chronically mentally ill patients." The authors proposes that martial arts can also be a useful to foster and expose feelings through a physical activity. The case study of a 20-yr-old male patient illustrates how the use of Shotokan Karate produced feelings and reveal problems, which are brought into the psychotherapy arena and analyzed. 

Zivin Hassan of Jefferson Medical College wrote about the effective use of traditional martial arts against teenage violence in 2001. The study showed 60 juveniles with high risk for violence and delinquency had decreased violent tendencies and showed positive changes in their psychological state after being required to take course in Koga Ha Kosho Shorei Ryu Kempo. "Their scores improved significantly in the areas of resistance to rules, impulsiveness, and inappropriate social behavior. There was also improvement in regard to violence, but the change in scores was not statistically significant. Follow-up on teachers' ratings showed that improvement remained, and in some cases increased, four months after completion of the course". 

Lastly, a recent 2015 study reviewed the impact of sports participation on violence amongst young rural girls. Matthew Taylor wrote, "Sports participants were less likely to engage in general violence and reported less physical and sexual victimization...Conversely, sports participants were more likely to engage in verbal and physical reactive violence". So what are some common conclusions we can take away from these studies?

Conclusion: 

 

These studies show that traditional Martial Arts can be used to reduce delinquency amongst the youth. However, it appears concepts like benevolence should be included in the training of impressionable young people. Martial Arts without the philosophical/ morality training seem to show an increase the aggression in young people. 
 
-Dwight

(Listen to the corresponding podcast) 


References:
1.  https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/frd030127.pdf
2.  Martial Arts Training: A Novel “Cure” for Juvenile Delinquency Michael E. Trulson, Texas A&M University 1985
3. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch07.pdf
4.  Psychotherapeutic aspects of the martial arts.Weiser, Mark; Kutz, Ilan; Kutz, Sue Jacobson; Weiser, Daniel American Journal of Psychotherapy, Vol 49(1), 1995, 118-127.
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11817627
6. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/The+impact+of+sports+participation+on+violence+and+victimization...-a0236030268