Demokrasi Di Lingkungan Sosial Dalam Mendukung Perkembangan Hubungan Sosial Remaja Di Kota Semarang

Sari

Abstract:

Democracy should not be implemented only at the national state level but should also practiced within families, schools and society. A young person’s social relations initially develops within the family, further extending to his/her peers and finally into society at large. There are many factors influencing this relation, each posing their own challenges. One important factor is the parenting system a person grew up in. A person who was raised in a very strict, obedience demanding  family environment, for example, will later face difficulties to take initiatives and to make decisions.

Just like the family, schools need to create an environment which will allow its students to fully develop their social relations. This can be through the interactions betwen students and teachers and between students with other students, the behavioural examples shown by and the profesional qualifications of the teachers. These factors, albeit not the only ones, will play an important role in the development of a person’s social relations.

Society at large also plays an important role in the development of a young person’s social relations. The problem is that society on the one hand views the as adults, but on the other hand do not given the chance to exercise their roles as adults. This is often frustrating and makes it difficult for a young person to develop his/her social relations. What is needed is a clear and simple guideline for the young person to follow in developing his/her social relations.

The findings of this research, conducted amongst high school students in Semarang, however, shows that democacy within the family, the school and society at large is not yet fully practiced and has not yet played a significant role in developing the social relations of the students.

It is recommended that families need to optimize their role a basis for a person’s characcter and social relation development.  Schools should create a more favourable environment for their students to develop their social relations, while society should treat young persons in a manner matching to their social development stage. All this should be supported by appropriate government policies with regards to the development of the younger generation. 

Keywords: democracy; family; school; society; social relation.