One of the most striking aspects of the accelerated and disordered urbanisation is the formation of sprawling housing estates where nuclear families are confined to small flats where they have no desire to spend their leisure hours. As a result, most of their time is spent on the street.
This happens with both the parents and the children. It hinders the educational function of the family and favours juvenile delinquency. This fact is corroborated by the majority of specialists such as Robert Laplane, Geraud Lasfargues, and Denise Laplane in their book Puberty:
If family ties loosen, others are formed that even surprise the adults themselves. The young form groups, gangs … whose formation is favoured by the artificial creation of housing estates and dormitory towns that are left during working hours to the unsupervised young.23
C. I. Sandstrom, in his book The Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence, adds:
Formerly members of a community were moved by strong family ties as well as a uniform behaviour that left little or no room for anti-social activities. Social development led to bigger cities and to the breaking of family ties. Work is generally outside the family circle and the old values were dissolved without creating new ones. For the individual this means an increasing social vacuum disconnected from any place, tradition or work group. The members of the community became more isolated and anonymous. As a result the social checks and balances were weakened. According to Durkheim, this type of society creates and encourages criminality.24
23. Robert Laplane, Geraud Lasfargues and Denise Laplane, La Pubertad, Oikos-tau Ed. SA, Barcelona, p. 129.
24. C. I. Sandstrom, Psicologia del nino y del adolescente, Ed. Morata SA, Madrid, 1968, p. 265.
The Christian Institution of the Family: A Dynamic Force to Regenerate Society, by Tradition, Family, Property Association. Part II, Chapter 2, Pgs. 105-106.
