NCJ Number
143142
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: (1993) Pages: 111- 130
Date Published
1993
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Data from a non-random sample of 975 high school students at four public high schools in different parts of Oklahoma were used to test the Gottfredson and Hirschi concept of self-control and its usefulness in explaining variations several types of juvenile delinquency.
Abstract
The youths ranged in age from 14 to 19 and took part in a self-report survey in 1991. The multivariate analysis considered interpersonal delinquency, theft, vandalism, legal substance use, illegal substance use, and imprudent behaviors. It also focused on the six components of the general measure of self-control: risk-taking, simplicity, anger, physicality, immediate gratification, and self- centeredness. Results revealed that while the composite self-control measure has substantial predictive power, the six dimensions of self-control outlined by Gottfredson and Hirschi should not be combined into one self-control construct. Instead, these dimensions should be handled as six different personality characteristics when seeking to explain different types of delinquency. Tables, notes, and 33 references