NCJ Number
137519
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1992) Pages: 189- 205
Date Published
1992
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Delinquent and nondelinquent youths were compared with respect to their attitudes regarding the causes of their anger, pride, and guilt.
Abstract
Participants in the first study were 26 incarcerated male adolescents; a followup study compared 56 male and female incarcerated adolescents with 57 male and female adolescents in high school with respect to the causes of pride. They were asked to recall a situation that evoked a particular emotion; to write a brief description of it; to list its cause; and to rate the cause on the dimensions of locus, stability, and controllability. These descriptions received a content analysis. Results supported the hypothesis that incarcerated delinquents have attitudes similar to those of other populations studied to date regarding the causes of their emotions, although pride generated the greatest diversity of causes and suggested a possible age difference. Incarcerated youth typically attributed feelings of pride to activities culturally appropriate for adults. In addition, females cited school success as a source of pride at twice the rate of males. Findings suggested that insights into juvenile delinquents' understanding of their own life experiences may provide valuable guidance for efforts to address the problem of juvenile delinquency and violence. Tables and 18 references (Author abstract modified)