NCJ Number
18937
Date Published
1969
Length
82 pages
Annotation
RESULTS OF A STUDY UNDERTAKEN TO DETERMINE WHETHER DELINQUENTS HOLD A STRONGER EXTERNAL CONTROL ORIENTATION THAN NON-DELINQUENTS AND WHETHER THERE IS A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IMPULSIVITY AND EXTERNAL CONTROL IN DELINQUENTS.
Abstract
A SECOND PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER INTERNAL-EXTERNAL CONTROL ORIENTATION ACTUALLY HAS AN INFLUENCE ON THE BEHAVIOR OF JUVENILE DELINQUENTS. IMPULSIVENESS IS CHARACTERIZED BY LOW FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE, AN OVEREMPHASIS ON PERSONAL PLEASURE, AND A DISREGARD OF LONG-RANGE CONSEQUENCES OF ONE'S ACTIONS. INTERNAL-EXTERNAL CONTROL IS A DIMENSION WHICH VARIES FROM THE PERCEPTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS AS UNDER ONE'S CONTROL AT ONE EXTREME TO THE PERCEPTION OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EVENTS AS BEYOND PERSONAL CONTROL AT THE OTHER EXTREME. IMPULSIVENESS WAS MEASURED BY THE SC SCALE OF THE CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY, AND ROTTER'S I-E SCALE WAS USED TO MEASURE INTERNAL-EXTERNAL CONTROL. AFTER THE SC AND I-E SCALES WERE ADMINISTERED TO FIFTY DELINQUENTS AND 30 NON-DELINQUENTS, THE RESULTS INDICATED THE DELINQUENTS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE IMPULSIVE AND MORE INCLINED TO HOLD AN EXTERNAL CONTROL ORIENTATION THAN NON-DELINQUENTS. A DEFINITE, BUT LOW, CORRELATION WAS FOUND BETWEEN IMPULSIVENESS AND PERCEIVED LOCUS OF CONTROL. TO INVESTIGATE THE POSSIBLE INFLUENCE OF INTERNAL-EXTERNAL CONTROL ON BEHAVIOR, THIRTY DELINQUENTS WHO OBTAINED THE HIGHEST AND THE LOWEST SCORES ON THE I-E SCALE PERFORMED IN A DISCRIMINATION TASK WHICH COULD BE REGARDED AS INVOLVING EITHER CHANCE OR SKILL. DIFFERENCES WERE HYPOTHESIZED IN THE SUBJECT'S SHIFTS IN EXPECTANCY AFTER SUCCESS OR FAILURE IN THE TASK. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN PERFORMANCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE GROUPS, HOWEVER. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)