NCJ Number
189969
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2001 Pages: 427-439
Date Published
August 2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article examines whether and how moral commitment regarding violence conditions the relationship between a set of social environmental variables and violent delinquency.
Abstract
The article evaluated three mutually exclusive hypotheses using data from the National Youth Survey. The first, emanating from a purely environmental perspective, held that moral commitment to non-violence did not condition the relationships of social variables to violent delinquency. The second hypothesis predicted that social factors had their greatest effect on violent behavior among those most strongly opposed to violence. The third hypothesis anticipated that social variables had their greatest impact on violent delinquency among those with violent attitudes. Results yielded strong support for the third hypothesis. From a policy perspective, findings suggested that improving social environments of juveniles with violent attitudes could make a difference in their behavior. The article claimed that these juveniles appeared susceptible to the influence of such external factors as peer behavior and approval, gender role expectations, economic strains, and the risk of losing family affection or general approval as a good student or good person. Tables, references