Conduct Resulting from the Poor Organizaiton of Leisure Time (From Loisirs Loisirs - des mesures de prevention de la delinquance juvenile, P 139-146, 1976, Alice Parizeau ed. - See NCJ-70512)

• NCJ Number: 70520
• Author(s): H Misiewicz
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: French
• Country: Canada

Annotation

Relationships among running away, behavior during the escapade, and the child's environment were examined with consideration of such temperamental traits as reactionary attitudes, extroversion, sensitivity, and introversion.

Abstract

A group of 45 young runaways were tested regarding their level of sensitivity to stimulation, given a hyupothesis that some children are more resistant to stimulation than others. It was postulated that children who are overly stimulated might lose their ability to resist peer group pressure, become reactionary, and run away from home, depending on their degree of extraversion or introversion. Attention was also given to how much parents contributed too the child's intellectual dvelopment at home, how much the child gained from cultural activities at school, and how the child reactsed to stimulants, conflict, or stress in his environment (school, home, peer). From the data, 29 introverts annd 16 extroverts were identified. Most ran away out off fear; 19 ran away other a particular incident; 14 in search of adventure; and 6 at the bidding of their friends. Of the 45,19 had a wonderful time during their adventure Fourteen committed their first theft during thhe escapade, 10 ran away immediately following a theft, and the rest had committed theft long before. Ten drank alcohol for the first time during the escapade, while 30 had drunk before. Almost all the children were characterized by their susceptibility to stimulaltion from the external environment, which outweighed the incentives provided at school and home for the positive channeling of their energies. This is proven by the runaways' imaginative and enterprising, abeit undesirable, choice of excitement and adventure away from home Almost all were highly neurotropic, so that any situation that produced more than average simulation also increased the neurotropic level. The data can only show the these youth chose running away as the answer to and unstable situation and cannot show a exactly what level stimulation, introversion, or reactionary traits act to incite running away. Yet the data do suggest that leisure time activities could be used to compensate for stimulation needs unmet at school, at home, or with peers; such time can be organized to direct unspent energies to constructive and personal fulfillment. --French.