NCJ Number
81169
Journal
Psychological Reports Volume: 49 Issue: 3 Dated: (December 1981) Pages: 711-716
Date Published
1981
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The study administered measures of social desirability and self-criticism/defensiveness to 90 male and 37 female delinquents and 121 male and 87 female nondelinquents to test the hypothesis that the relationship between social desirability and self-criticism/defensiveness would be weaker for delinquents than for nondelinquents, signalling stronger pathologically defensive tendencies in delinquents than nondelinquents.
Abstract
The hypothesis was strongly supported for male delinquents and male and female nondelinquents in upper-middle and middle classes but not for female delinquents and nondelinquents in lower-middle and working classes. Thus, the class status variable appears to have made the desirability/defensiveness relationship significant for female delinquents. Delinquents should be made to understand the reasons for social approval/disapproval during the reorientation/resocialization process and in childrearing. Overall, social-desirability scales can be used to differentiate individuals with pathologically defensive or hyper-self-critical tendencies from individuals with nonpathologically defensive tendencies. A table and 17 references are supplied. (Author abstract modified)