NCJ Number
32303
Date Published
1971
Length
166 pages
Annotation
DATA ON POTENTIAL DELINQUENCY AND SELF CONCEPT WERE COLLECTED ON A TOTAL OF 523 JUNIOR AND SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FEMALE IDENTITY AND DELINQUENCY.
Abstract
THIS RESEARCH IS BASED ON THE THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE OF SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM WHICH STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF CONCEPT AND ROLE IN ATTEMPTING TO EXPLAIN THE PROCESS OF ASSUMING ANY IDENTITY. THE THREE HYPOTHESES TESTED WERE: 1) IF THOSE GIRLS DEFINED AS 'GOOD' (NONDELINQUENT) ARE GETTING MORE POSITIVE FEEDBACK THAN GIRLS DEFINED AS 'BAD' (PREDELINQUENT), THEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL EVIDENCE MORE POSITIVE SELF CONCEPTS THAN BAD GIRLS; 2) THAT GIRLS LABELED 'GOOD' WILL SHOW GREATER STABILITY OF SELF CONCEPTS THAN THOSE GIRLS LABELED 'BAD'; AND 3) THAT THOSE GIRLS LABELED NON-DELINQUENT WILL INCLUDE BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OTHERS AS SIGNIFICANT TO THEM WHEREAS THE POTENTIAL DELINQUENTS WILL INCLUDE ONLY PRIMARY OTHERS. AS A MEASURE OF SELF CONCEPT EACH GIRL WAS GIVEN A THIRTY-TWO SCALE SEMANTIC DIFFERENTIAL. NONE OF THE ABOVE HYPOTHESES WAS CONCLUSIVELY PROVEN BY THE DATA. HOWEVER, THE DATA DID SUGGEST THAT THE LABELING PROCESS OF JUDGING GIRLS DELINQUENT MAY BE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN FOR BOYS.