NCJ Number
129408
Date Published
1990
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Theoretical integration in the study of juvenile delinquency is recommended to advance knowledge and develop effective prevention strategies.
Abstract
Theoretical integration is discussed in the context of collective (gang) delinquency and in relation to macrosocial, microsocial, situational, cultural, and individual theories. It is shown that microsocial inquiry and the microsocial level of explanation is useful in linking macrosocial and individual levels of analysis. The micro-level approach, for example, may offer a way out of sociology's chronic difficulties with the concept of norm. It may offer a solution to the failure to explain circumstances in which normative group properties are manifested, modified, or ignored in behavior studies. Data indicate that the explanatory power of group norms has been over-emphasized. Groups clearly vary in normative properties, but the manner in which these properties are exhibited in attitudes and behavior also varies between and among individuals in varying group contexts and the situations in which individuals and groups find themselves. Each explanation of juvenile delinquency must stand on its own merits. Individual and macrosocial levels should remain the primary focus of attention, and more research is needed to explore the processes and mechanisms by which delinquent outcomes are produced. Bridging concepts are needed between social psychological and social structural explanations of juvenile delinquency. 32 notes