Religious orientation of institutionalized youth

• Author: Gheorghe Dejeu - Simona Stanciu
• Position: Ph.D..Lecturer, University of Oradea - Lecturer, University of Oradea
• Pages: 272-275

RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION OF INSTITUTIONALIZED YOUTH

Dejeu Gheorghe

Stanciu Simona

Abstract

The study aims to identify factors involved in r eligious orientation of institutiona lized children in Bihor

County, based on statistica l data from Bihor DJPCAS activity report for 2010.

To cap ture a possible dynamics of this process we are a ware of the need for a sociological a nalysis

panel for a long period of time. The issues captu red in this study will be of value if used for comparison in future

years. Religious or ientation of institutionalized children creates the p remises of socia l integr ations thr ough

religious groups and predispose to socia l behavior that can facilitate the social integra tion of youth leaving the

care institutio ns.

Key w ords: conversion, conscience, abuse, religion and power, manipulation, car e institution,

frustration, exploita tion.

Introduction

An important a spect of social life is the religious behavior as an a rea of socia l behavior and also the

influence it has on other areas of the in dividuals’ social life. This is most evident in the life of children and

young people in car e institutions, where th e group behavior, the imitative beha vior takes on specific

chara cteristics, according to the social climate the individual is exposed to.

In the social life of children and young people institutionalized substantial changes took place after

December 1989, as a result of the multiple re forms to the national care system for the children in difficulty.

Elements of the reform that changed the social life of children and young people refer to di fferent living

accommodations (there are no more children’s houses, where u would find a large number of children in

inadequate spaces, but a transition to spaces that imitate a normal family environment to ok place with children of

different ages and genders), as well as a different philosophy regarding the education and social assistance of

institutionalized children.

As a r esult the social life of institutionalized children is heavily influenced by the quality of the adults

that are responsible for their care. It is obvious that the r eligious life of the adults will influence, along with other

factors, the religious orientation of the institutionalized young people.

In our opinion it is more about imitation of the adult in order to receive their approval rather than a

conversion, as that implies the idea of turning from something to something else. As explained in “Enciclopedia

religiilor – PRO Publishing House, 2005, page XIV”, conversion or metanoia means a change in thinking or

repentance and implies a mutation or rebirth. We consider that conversion is an evidence of an inner

preoccupation on a philosophical level. That is rarely demonstrated at the age of the subjects in topic or in a

social environment of this type.

On the other hand we cannot rule out the possibility of conversion as all the religious cults in Romania

are interested in disseminating their specific doctrine in environments such as care institutions for children.

We are not looking to analyze the ethical aspects of a conversion, but we cannot ignore the possibility

of situations in which people who are loo king to convert young people in these institutions don’t have the child’s

best interest in mind, but rather exploit the child’s situation and peoples empathy for th eir own purposes. We

insist on the fact that these type of actions are very effective as Bogdan Teodorescu remarks in “ Cinci milenii de

manipulare” Tritonic Publishing House, 2007, p. 353 quoting Oliver Thomson: One of the most remarkable and

less studied aspects of human history is the one about de ease with which people can be lead. We were

convinced by religious fanatism to worship cruel gods, be afraid of weird hells, blessing human sacrifices and

torture. We are left with the hope that those who are animated by contributing to the co nversion of children and

young people who are institutionalized, do so with the child’s best interest in mind as this is noted in Law no.

272. In the motives for conversion, after a focus group of 16 young p eople institutionalized in a NGO (Non

Governmental Organization), most o f them noted that their final decision was based on information, knowledge,

conscience and acceptance into a desirable group.

Ph.D..Lecturer, University of Oradea, fchipea@yahoo.com

Lecturer, University of Oradea, fchipea@yahoo.com