Life Span Development II School Age and Adolescence

Life Span Development II: School age and Adolescence 3 (2+1)

Lesson 23 : Problems in Identity Development

Delinquency

A young person may be labeled delinquent for breaking the law, ranging from murder, robbery, truancy or running away from the school or home.

Causes: The major causes of delinquency may be grouped into 2 categories:

1. Sociological factors: refers to the elements in society and culture- Socio Economic Status, cultural values, peer group influence, social disorganization, academic performance and family background etc.

2. Psychological factors: refers to the inter-personal relationships and personality traits – broken homes, parental relationships etc. Some individuals are more likely to be socially assertive, resentful, hostile, rebellious, suspicious, destructive, impulsive and lacking in self control.

Prevalence: The male adolescents more frequently commit crimes against property such as stealing or vandalizing property than the females. The female adolescents indulge in running away from home and being sexually overactive than females. They were more commonly involved in acts of delinquency in the family or with consenting males. Due to this boys are arrested five times more than girls.

Types of delinquency:

To understand the relationship between identity and delinquency one must examine the types of delinquency and their developmental origins.

1. Chronic delinquency: It does not suddenly emerge full-blown in adolescents, rather chronic adolescent delinquents engaged in antisocial behaviour in middle childhood. They are typically involved in more than one type of antisocial behaviour in middle childhood and in more than one setting i.e. in school, home and the community.

2. Socialized/ sub-cultural delinquents: these individuals are presumably normal adolescents who have grown up in or have been socialized in communities/ neighbourhoods where antisocial behaviours are accepted or tolerated. According to sociologists, identity development in socialized delinquents is a normal process due to accessibility.

3. Unsocialized/ psychopathic (Sociopathic) delinquents: these adolescents are incapable of long term commitments to goals involving delay of immediate gratification. They are unable to sustain lasting relationships involving mutual goals or arrangements. These individuals appear to have character disorders that make them appear casual or indifferent to inflicting pain to others.