NCJ Number
41460
Date Published
1977
Length
80 pages
Annotation
THE INTENT OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE IF DIFFERENCES EXIST IN SELF-CONCEPT AMONG THREE GROUPS OF JUVENILES IN THE DIRECTION PREDICTED BY THE SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST PROSPECTIVE AND LABELING THEORY.
Abstract
A FUNDAMENTAL TENET OF THE LABELING PERSPECTIVE IS THAT DEVIANCE IS THE PRODUCT OF INTERACTION BETWEEN AN ACTOR AND A SOCIAL AUDIENCE. IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, TWO SEPARATE INSTRUMENTS, THE TENNESSEE SELF CONCEPT TEST AND THE TWENTY STATEMENTS TEST WERE EMPLOYED ON 1) JUVENILE DELINQUENTS IN A DETENTION FACILITY, 2) JUVENILE DELINQUENTS ON PROBATION, AND 3) NON-DELINQUENTS, MATCHED IN TERMS OF AGE, SEX, RACE, AND IN PART, SOCIAL CLASS, WHO HAVE NO OFFICIAL RECORD OF DELINQUENCY. IN ADDITION, GROUPS 1 AND 2 WERE ADMINISTERED AN OPEN-ENDED INTERVIEW. THE SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE AND LABELING THEORY LED TO THE HYPOTHESIS THAT DELINQUENTS IN DETENTION WOULD HAVE THE MOST NEGATIVE SELF-CONCEPT, FOLLOWED BY DELINQUENTS ON PROBATION, AND THAT NON-DELINQUENTS WOULD HAVE A MORE POSITIVE SELF-CONCEPT IF BEING PROCESSED THROUGH THE JUVENILE COURT SYSTEM IS STIGMATIZING IN THE MANNER PREDICTED BY THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK. RESULTS OF BOTH THE TENNESSEE SELF CONCEPT TEST AND THE TWENTY STATEMENTS TEST WERE CONSISTENTLY IN THE PREDICTED DIRECTION, WHILE THOSE OF THE OPEN-ENDED INTERVIEW WERE SOMEWHAT AMBIGUOUS. APPENDED MATERIALS INCLUDE A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND COPIES OF THE TENNESSEE SELF CONCEPT TEST, THE TWENTY STATEMENTS TEST, AND THE INTERVIEW SCHEDULE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...ELW