Perceptions of Prosocial and Delinquent Peer Behavior and the Effect on Delinquent Attitudes: A Longitudinal Study

• NCJ Number: 242799
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 41 Issue: 3 Dated: May/June 2013 Pages: 151-161
• Author(s): Dena C. Carson
• Date Published: June 2013
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

Using both social learning and balance theories, this study examined the relationship between peer associations and delinquent attitudes.

Abstract

This study used both social learning and balance theories to examine the relationship between peer associations and delinquent attitudes in a longitudinal sample of teens. The study found that the perception of prosocial peer behavior resulted in a stable protective effect towards the formation of delinquent attitudes, and that perceptions of antisocial peer behavior produced a large increase in antisocial attitudes. The study also found that as perceptions of delinquent peer behavior increased, neutralizations for theft and crime increased as well, and that the amplification effect for increases in perceptions of antisocial peer behavior was twice that compared to the protective effect of prosocial peer perceptions. These findings indicate that, over time, changes in perceptions of delinquent behavior produce a strong change in delinquent attitudes. Data for the study were obtained from a longitudinal sample of 3,820 teens who participated in the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T) program. The goals of the study were to estimate the direct relationship between perceptions of peer behavior and neutralizations for delinquent behavior both contemporaneously and across time; to examine the contemporaneous and lagged effects of exposure to both prosocial and antisocial peers; and to determine whether the change in the perceptions of delinquent peer behavior were associated with a change in delinquent attitudes, and whether the effect of the changes were the same for both antisocial and prosocial peer behavior. The findings suggest that perceptions of prosocial peer behavior have a positive, long-lasting effect on delinquent attitudes. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Tables, appendixes, notes, and references