Rumspringa: Role Conflict Within The Amish Youth Community

The Amish culture in general try to withhold the same traditions, values, and language as the original Amish. This individual Amish subculture in Indiana displayed in the Devil's Playground goes to show just how culturally diverse society can be. Though the ultimate desire of the Amish is to be a good example of Christ, the community encourages a positive deviance of their teenagers called Runspringa. Starting at age sixteen Amish teens are allowed the opportunity to explore the English world to better educate their decision to commit their life to the church and the simple way of living or leave the community turning to a life of relative deviance. This value contradiction often results in role conflict within the young people.

Faron is a prime example of the freedom to experiment gone too far. In addition to his deviant behaviors including but not limited to, violating a physical stigma by dressing English and wearing earrings and jewelry, smoking, drinking, dating, possessing a driver's license and listening to music and watching TV. Faron's daily use and selling of crystal meth is highly illegal making it a crime. He receives multiple death threats after he complies with the police's deterrence agreeing to be wired leading to the raid of a fellow Amish dealer's home. The fact that people were out to get him played as an external social control causing him to move back home to his parent's home and away from drugs since no one wanted his possible drama. Faron also wrestled with internal social control. His father being a preacher involuntarily influenced his life instilling religion in his upbringing from a different perspective. He admitted willingly that “it's a good religion” and his conscious battle between returning to ...

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... in the strain theory. He has the desire to attain materialistic goals but his leaving home was his alternative deviant route of achieving such. After he felt he had gotten as much as he could from the experience of living on his own he moved back home to live with his family. He was in no hurry to devote himself to the church even as his parents and community played the part of his external social control by constantly asking when he would be joining the church.

From parties consisting of hundreds of kids participating in physical intimacy, smoking, dressing English and driving cars to underage drinking and the use of illegal drugs, the Devil's Playground was full of deviant behavior and crime. It was interesting to witness the different repercussions each character had because of their own deviance and to see what I learned in class portrayed in real situations.