Running Away - A Sociological Analysis

• NCJ Number: 85142
• Author(s): J Palenski
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 267 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services; Not Available Through National Institute of Justice/NCJRS Document Loan Program
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. New York University - doctoral dissertation

Annotation

This dissertation analyzes the phenomenon of runaways by viewing it from an interactionist perspective -- as a social process in which individuals learn their roles as runaways from day-to-day exposure to attitudes and actions of others, thereby developing runaway identities and career patterns.

Abstract

The study interviewed runaways and youth shelter staff/administrators and obtained secondary data on programs in New York City and its environs. A typology of different styles of learning the runaway role emerged: aggressive, passive, and indifferent. The data analysis yielded insights into the generic features of a runaway lifestyle, the process identified as a runaway career, and the modifiers associated with such careers. Study implications concern limitations inherent in using merely the legal definition of runaways. Footnotes, tabular data, and about 200 references are given.