NCJ Number
73760
Journal
Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: (January 1980) Pages: 161-176
Date Published
1980
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Favorite types of games of 50 delinquent Israeli boys are explored and compared to the preferences of the control group of 50 nondelinquent boys from the same neighborhood.
Abstract
The study is based on the premise that delinquency is unsocialized behavior and that games function as minimodels of true life social situations demanding social conformity. The sample population consisted of 50 delinquent and 50 nondelinquent white, lower and working class boys, 13 to 16 years of age and residing in a homogeneous inner-city area. Data were collected directly from the boys through individual interviews using two research instruments: (1) a game list consisting of 86 common male adolescent games including games of physical skill, strategy, and chance; and (2) a structured list of 24 games requiring varying numbers and specificity of rules and varying direct expression of aggression. The statistical analysis of the responses obtained by ranking the preferred games on a scale of 1 to 4 indicated that delinquents show greater preference for games of chance while nondelinquent boys prefer games of strategy. Furthermore, delinquents prefer games with low rule specificity and a high opportunity for the direct expression of aggression, while nondelinquents liked the games with opposite characteristics. The preferences of delinquents reflect the behavioral characteristics of delinquents described in literature: inability to delay gratification, unwillingness to accept responsibility for the consequences of their actions, and inability to weigh alternative actions. The findings of the study are offered as a framework for using games as a treatment vehicle for delinquent boys.