NCJ Number
75445
Date Published
1980
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study outlines a general formulation about children who steal as a base for comparing social learning and social control theories: its primary purpose is, however, to integrate the series of empirical analyses being carried out at the Oregon Social Learning Center.
Abstract
The Oregon Social Learning Center is treating several hundred families of young, antisocial and chronically-delinquent children, who provide subjects for testing hypotheses and theories on deviance through observation of their behavior. The first hypothesis is that antisocial children maximize short-term payoffs while ignoring the long-term consequences of their acts. The second hypothesis is that acts of vandalism and stealing constitute a short-term payoff in kicks or excitement. In that context, it appears that stealing comes naturally to children as young as 2 or 3 years of age. When children are allowed to continue stealing not only at home but in school, they are labeled deviant by professionals or agency staff. Another hypothesis states that children will remain deviant until they are punished for their antisocial behavior while being taught prosocial behavior. The article concludes that families must accept the responsibility of punishing their children for deviant behavior in nonphysical ways, such as work details and treatment. In examining types of antisocial behavior, the study found that Young Stealers are at risk for further delinquency: in fact, many become chronic offenders. The findings of this study suggested that mothers of Stealers perceive themselves as nonconformist, rebellious, and acting-out (i.e., delinquents) and that presumably fathers of Stealers are similar. These values were thought to correlate with the fact that parents of Stealers do not interpret stealing as deviance and they do not punish their children for it. Thus, parents of Stealers are responsible for their children's delinquency. Seventeen references are appended.