NCJ Number
78184
Journal
Adolescence Volume: 16 Issue: 62 Dated: (Summer 1981) Pages: 321-330
Date Published
1981
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This analysis of various theories of adolescence and juvenile delinquency concludes that viewing delinquency as the result of a socialization process provides an incentive to look for ways to intervene in this process.
Abstract
The period of adolescence viewed differently by writers who accept the stage theory of development and by the social learning theorists. For most writers, the positive task of adolescence is the assumption of adulthood. Adolescents must achieve some new sense of themselves as adults. One approach to the definition of adolescents as juvenile delinquents is the process of labeling. Society labels persons who are different, forcing them to live within restricted parameters. Persons are aware of their own limitations and are participants in the acceptance of the label of society. They note what society expects of them and accept their new status. Another perspective on the development of juvenile delinquency holds that youths who become delinquent tend to experience or perceive blocking of access to desirable roles. Sensing their lack of access, they do not develop a sense of their value to society. Both the labeling approach and social learning theories can provide leads to understanding why some youths become juvenile delinquents. Attention must also be given to internal psychological strain, feelings of inadequacy, fear, and personal disability of adolescents, and research must be continued. Seventeen references are provided.