NCJ Number
79308
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 5 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall 1980) Pages: 74-84
Date Published
1980
Length
11 pages
Annotation
The variables of containment theory were operationalized to examine which combination of the variables best related to self-reported delinquency and official delinquency.
Abstract
The central concepts of containment theory are that outer and inner containments are required for a person to develop restrained law-abiding behavior. Outer containment is the ability of the society, community, family, and other groups to hold persons within the bounds of accepted norms. Inner containment is the ability of individuals to follow expected norms and to control themselves. The variables of containment theory examined were self-perception, goal orientation, frustration tolerance, retention of norms, internalization of rules, availability of meaningful roles, and group reinforcement. Data were collected from questionnaires administered in four high schools and three juvenile correctional institutions in the same Oklahoma metropolitan area. The final sample of 724 consisted of 282 high school males, 374 high school females, 39 institutionalized males, and 29 institutionalized females. Data were analyzed separately for the four samples. The variables showed stronger relationships with self-reported delinquency than official delinquency. While internalization of rules accounted for the most variation in delinquency among high school students, frustration tolerance was most related to delinquency among institutionalized juveniles. Self-perception, the containment variable receiving the most attention in the past, was significantly less related to delinquency than were the other containment variables. Scales of the seven containment variables by items are appended, and tabular data and 12 references are provided.