SOCIAL STRATIFICATION, SELF-REPORTED DELINQUENCY, AND PROCESSES OF STIGMATIZING IN THE SCHOOL

• NCJ Number: 15141
• Journal: Kriminologisches Journal Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY-MARCH 1974) Pages: 29-46
• Author(s): M BRUSTEN
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 18 pages
• Corporate Author: Arbeitskreis Junger Kriminologen
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: German
• Country: West Germany (Former)

Annotation

STUDY COMPARING THE SOCIAL CLASS AND SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR OF WEST GERMAN ADOLESCENTS WITH THEIR TEACHERS' PERCEPTION OF THE STUDENTS' CLASS AND BEHAVIOR.

Abstract

THE STUDY INVOLVED 67 TEACHERS AND 819 STUDENTS AGED 13 TO 17 FROM 28 SCHOOLS. EACH STUDENT AND HIS TEACHER RATED THE LEVEL OF THE STUDENT'S DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR AS LOW, MEDIUM, OR HIGH. SOCIAL CLASS WAS INDICATED OBJECTIVELY AS LOW, MEDIUM, OR HIGH ON THE BASIS OF THE FATHER'S OCCUPATION AND SUBJECTIVELY BY THE ASSUMPTION OF THE TEACHER. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT, ALTHOUGH THE SELF-PERCEPTIONS OF BEHAVIOR WERE ABOUT THE SAME FOR STUDENTS FROM EACH SOCIAL CLASS, THE TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR BEHAVIOR TENDED TO CORRELATE WITH THEIR ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THE CHILDREN'S SOCIAL CLASS. CONSEQUENTLY, CHILDREN OF THE LOWER SOCIAL STRATA TEND TO BE ASSIGNED DELINQUENT ROLES MORE EASILY THAN OTHER CHILDREN. THESE FINDINGS CONTRADICT THEORIES WHICH ASSUME THAT AGENCIES OF SOCIAL CONTROL DEAL WITH AN EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF VARIANT BEHAVIOR AMONG ALL SOCIAL CLASSES. INCLUDED ARE TABLES SHOWING THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY AND A DIAGRAM SHOWING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMPORTANT VARIABLES IN THE STIGMATIZATION PROCESS. --IN GERMAN