STUDY OF VALUES ASCRIBED TO SELF AND 'SIGNIFICANT OTHER PERSONS' BY DELINQUENT AND NONDELINQUENT ADOLESCENT YOUTH

• NCJ Number: 18909
• Author(s): J L TRABONT
• Date Published: 1968
• Length: 175 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DISSERTATION - UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

Annotation

AN EXPLORATORY MEASUREMENT OF VALUES AS SIGNS OF CHARACTER TRAITS TO DISTINGUISH DELINQUENT FROM NONDELINQUENT YOUTH.

Abstract

THE STUDY EXPLORES AN APPROACH TO THE MEASUREMENT OF 'PRESCRIPTION' AND 'OPERATIVE' VALUES HELD BY DELINQUENT ADOLESCENTS. PRESCRIPTION VALUES ARE THE IDEALS HELD FOR WHAT A PERSON OUGHT TO BE AND DO. OPERATIVE VALUES ARE THOSE REFLECTED IN WHAT A PERSON ACTUALLY DOES. THE STUDY ALSO MEASURES THESE TYPES OF VALUES AS DELINQUENT ADOLESCENTS ATTRIBUTE THEM TO MEMBERS OF THEIR REFERENCE GROUPS. FOUR QUESTIONS WERE ASKED OF THE DATA OBTAINED FROM TESTING GROUPS OF DELINQUENTS AND NONDELINQUENTS. THE QUESTIONS WERE - DO DELINQUENTS AS COMPARED TO NONDELINQUENTS HOLD MORE PRESCRIPTION AND OPERATIVE VALUES WHICH ARE POLAR OPPOSITES, REPORT MORE MEMBERS OF THEIR REFERENCE GROUPS AS HOLDING PRESCRIPTION VALUES OR OPERATIVE VALUES WHICH ARE POLAR OPPOSITES, REPORT FEWER MEMBERS OF THEIR REFERENCE GROUPS AS HOLDING THE SAME KINDS OF VALUES, AND REPORT MORE VALUES, LOGICALLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH THEIR OWN, HELD BY THE MEMBERS OF THEIR REFERENCE GROUPS. RESULTS SHOWED THAT DELINQUENTS EXCEEDED NONDELINQUENTS SIGNIFICANTLY IN DESCRIBING THEMSELVES AS HOLDING A DUAL SYSTEM OF OPERATIVE VALUES, BUT NOT AS HOLDING A DUAL SYSTEM OF PRESCRIPTION VALUES. DELINQUENTS' DESCRIPTIONS OF THEMSELVES AND OF THEIR REFERENCE GROUP MEMBERS SHARE SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER OPERATIVE VALUES IN COMMON THAN DO THE NONDELINQUENTS' RATINGS. THUS, DELINUQENTS DESCRIBED FEWER OF THE MEMBERS OF THEIR REFERENCE GROUPS AS HOLDING IDENTICAL OPERATIVE VALUES.