NCJ Number
60940
Journal
JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1979) Pages: 29-37
Date Published
1979
Length
9 pages
Annotation
PERSONALITY TYPES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS WERE COMPARED TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE TWO GROUPS HAVE DIFFERENT TYPES THAT ARE RELATED TO INTERPERSONAL DIMENSIONS.
Abstract
THE DELINQUENTS TESTED INCLUDED 47 FEMALES AND 54 MALES, AGES 13 TO 17, WHO HAD BEEN INCARCERATED IN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN CALIFORNIA. THE NONDELINQUENTS INCLUDED 69 FEMALES AND 29 MALES, AGES 14 TO 18, FROM A HIGH SCHOOL IN THE SAME GEOGRAPHICAL AREA. THE FOUR ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS USED WERE SIXTEEN PERSONALITY FACTORS, FOUR FACTORS RELATIONSHIPS, CHROMATIC DIFFERENTIAL TEST, AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENT MEASURE. CHARACTERISTICS COMPARED INCLUDED PERSONALITY, PREFERRED INTRAFAMILIAL AND EXTRAFAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS, INTRAFAMILIAL AND EXTRAFAMILIAL SENTIMENTS, AND EDUCATIONAL VALUE SYSTEMS. INDIVIDUALS WERE GROUPED BY TYPE AND GROUPS WERE TESTED USING A DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION TEST. RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE JUVENILE DELINQUENTS COULD BE GROUPED INTO FOUR DISTINCT SUBGROUPS, NONE OF WHICH WERE IN THE HIGH EXTROVERSION AREA. RESULTS CONFIRMED THAT THE JUVENILE DELINQUENT IS NOT A SINGLE PERSONALITY TYPE EVEN THOUGH SOME OVERRIDING CHARACTERISTICS, SUCH AS HIGHER IDENTITY SCORES WITH THE POOR TEACHERS AND DIFFICULTIES RELATING TO PERCEIVED GOOD TEACHERS, WERE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE ENTIRE DELINQUENT POPULATION. FINDINGS BOTH CONTRADICTED THE MENTAL HEALTH MODEL OF ANXIETY AS THE MAIN FACTOR IN ABNORMAL BEHAVIOR AND IMPLIED THAT SOCIALIZATION IS THE PRIMARY FACTOR. THE DATA SUPPORTED ASSUMPTIONS THAT THE FAMILY IS THE BASIC SYSTEM FOR THE CHILD. ALL NORMAL SUBGROUPS HAD AT LEAST ONE PARENT PERCEIVED AS POSITIVE, WHEREAS THE DELINQUENTS HAD LOW RELATIONSHIPS WITH BOTH PARENTS. FURTHER RESEARCH ON DIFFERENCES AMONG THE MAJOR GROUPS AND SUBGROUPS IS RECOMMENDED. A TABLE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)