ATTRIBUTION AND ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DELINQUENT AND NON-DELINQUENT BLACK ADOLESCENTS

• NCJ Number: 31084
• Journal: Adolescence Volume: 10 Issue: 39 Dated: (FALL 1975) Pages: 391-397
• Author(s): F H FARLEY; T SEWELL
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: Libra Publishers, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

AN ANALYSIS OF LOCUS OF CONTROL AND ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION DIFFERENCES BETWEEN 13 FEMALE AND 14 MALE BLACK DELINQUENT ADOLESCENTS AND 18 FEMALE AND 10 MALE NON-DELINQUENT BLACK ADOLESCENTS.

Abstract

RESEARCH ON ATTRIBUTION OF CAUSALITY OR INTERNAL VERSUS EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DELINQUENT AND NON-DELINQUENT SUBJECTS HAS SUGGESTED THAT DELINQUENTS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EXTERNAL IN ORIENTATION THAN NON-DELINQUENTS. IT HAS ALSO BEEN SUGGESTED THAT DELINQUENTS ARE LESS ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATED THAN NON-DELINQUENTS. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO TEST THESE FINDINGS FOR A SAMPLE OF BLACK ADOLESCENTS. TWO MEASURES WERE USED - THE INTERNAL-EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL SCALE AND THE DRIVE OR MOTIVATION SCALE. A 2X2 DESIGN WITH TWO DEPENDANT MEASURES (LOCUS OF CONTROL AND ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION) WAS EMPLOYED CONSISTING OF DELINQUENTS VERSUS NON-DELINQUENTS AND MALES VERSUS FEMALES. THE RESULTS DID NOT SUPPORT THE NOTION THAT DELINQUENTS ARE MORE EXTERNAL IN PERCEIVED LOCUS OF CONTROL OR LOWER IN ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION THAN NON-DELINQUENTS. IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)