NCJ Number
91231
Date Published
1983
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study used measures of aggression and socialization applied through direct observation of subjects during their childhoods and related these to antisocial behavior in subjects' later years.
Abstract
Subjects were selected for study when they were between the ages of five and nine, and they were traced to their late 40's. All lived in congested neighborhoods. Some were selected because they manifested problem behavior, while others were selected because of their conforming behavior. Among the 227 men in the study, 46 were rated as highly aggressive adolescents. The ten variables used to describe family milieu for the rearing of the subjects were combined to form five scales. A scale based on discipline, expectations, and supervision was used to measure the degree of control exerted over the subject's activities. To measure family aggressiveness, the father's punitiveness, parental conflict, and the parents' aggressive behavior were considered. A scale reflecting the father as a model was composed of the variables describing his affection toward the boy and whether or not the father had been deviant (alcoholic or criminal). A scale reflecting the mother as a model was based on her affection for her son and whether or not she was a leader in family interactions. Family background providing little control, especially if coupled with discipline through corporal punishment, seemed particularly conducive to aggression. Maternal affection and leadership appeared to mitigate these effects. Evidence suggests that whether juveniles become antisocial depends on how they are treated in their families more than on whether they are aggressive. Childhood aggression was a precursor of antisocial behavior. Parental aggression, control, and affection, however, appeared to have even greater impact on subsequent antisocial behavior. Four notes and seven references are provided.