NCJ Number
49228
Date Published
1976
Length
151 pages
Annotation
PROBATION OFFICERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD SELF AND IDEALIZED SELF-CONCEPT ARE EXAMINED IN RELATIONSHIP TO JUVENILE PROBATIONERS.
Abstract
IT WAS PREDICTED THAT OFFICER EGO-SUPEREGO CHARACTERISTICS WOULD BE REFLECTED IN THEIR SELF-ATTITUDES; OFFICER ATTITUDES TOWARDS PROBATIONERS WOULD REFLECT OFFICER EGO-SUPEREGO CHARACTERISTICS AND PROBATIONER IDENTIFICATION WITH THEIR PROBATION OFFICER WOULD VARY ACCORDING TO OFFICER EGO-SUPEREGO CHARACTERISTICS. TWENTY-TWO OFFICERS WERE GROUPED BY BARRON'S EGO STRENGTH SCALE AND PITTEL'S SITUATIONAL APPRAISAL INVENTORY. TEN OFFICERS WERE SELECTED, REPRESENTING THREE GROUPS OF THE MOST DIVERGENT SCORES: HIGH EGO, HIGH SUPEREGO STRENGTH, LOW EGO, HIGH SUPEREGO STRENGTH; HIGH EGO, LOW SUPEREGO STRENGTH. FIFTY-SIX PROBATIONERS WERE SELECTED WITH AT LEAST 5 MONTHS OF CONTACT WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS. PROBATION OFFICERS AND PROBATIONER'S SELF ATTITUDES, ATTITUDES TOWARD ONE ANOTHER, AND IDENTIFICATION WERE MEASURED BY THE INTERPERSONAL CHECKLIST. ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS USED TO COMPUTE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS. NO SIGNIFICANCE WAS FOUND; HOWEVER, IN ADDITIONAL FINDINGS IT WAS REVEALED THAT PROBATION OFFICERS AS A GROUP WERE CHARACTERIZED BY A HIGHLY DOMINANT, MINIMALLY AFFECTIONATE VIEW OF SELF AND BY IDEALS OF EXCESSIVE DISTRUST AND SUBMISSIVENESS AFFECTION WAS NOT VIEWED AS A TRAIT OF VALUE. DIFFERNCES BETWEEN OFFICER AND PROBATIONER SELF AND IDEAL SELF RATINGS WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT. IT IS NOTED THAT THE OFFICERS' EMPHASIS ON DOMINANCE, DEVALUATION OF AFFECTION, AND THE PRESENCE OF UNDERLYING HOSTILITY APPARENTLY LIMITS THEIR EFFORTS TO SOCIALIZE DELINQUENTS, WHO ARE CONSIDERED TO NEED A BALANCE OF DOMINANCE AND AFFECTION. DATA TABLES AND INSTRUMENT SAMPLES ARE INCLUDED, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--RCB)