Individual Theories of Delinquency

Crime Theories and Juvenile Delinquency

There are many theories of crime that aim at determining or explaining why individuals resort to criminal and/or violent behavior. Among the different types of offenders are juvenile delinquents who are driven to deviancy for a number of reasons. By examining two theories of crime, behavioral and psychodynamic, one can gain a better understanding of the motivating factors behind juvenile delinquency.

One of the most relevant behavioral theories in criminology is the social learning theory. Albert Bandura posited that "people learn by what they see" (Arrigo, 2006, p. 87). He believed that violent tendencies were not inherited, but rather that they were modeled on three distinct principles: reinforcement from family members, the media, and the environment (Isom, 1998). Thus, people behave in ways that are "consistent with what we are exposed to and thus familiar with as a byproduct of our environment" (Arrigo, 2006, p. 87). Atkinson, Atkinson, Smith, and Bem (1990) expand on Bandura's claims and state, "When children observe and subsequently imitate their parents, they learn how adults are reward or punished in specific situations, and these experiences influence their own sense of morality" (Arrigo, 2006, p. 169). However, when there is a lack of parental direction, the model for proper moral behavior is missing and thus, a child is left without guidance, which can, in turn, contribute to deviancy. It is also important to keep in mind that "maladjusted behavior is learned in the same manner as adjusted behavior," thus a lack of guidance cannot be the sole source of learned criminal behavior (Phares, 1991, p. 371; Arrigo, 2006, p. 87).

As parents are role models in the psychosocial development of children, a disruption in the family dynamic -- such as divorce or violence -- may also contribute to juvenile delinquency. Rossman, Hughes, and Rosenberg (2000) contend "children's behavioral problems [are] mostly a function of violence in the child's immediate family, with violence against the child exerting the most powerful impact but witnessing violence adding to that impact" (Arrigo, 2006, p. 170). Furthermore, according to Stevenson and Black (1996), "the majority of offspring of divorce will not show behavior problems; however, as compared to the general population, a greater proportion of both male and female offspring will have some overt, inappropriate behaviors" (Arrigo, 2006, p. 171).

Additionally, juvenile delinquency can be analyzed using the psychodynamic theory of juvenile delinquency as proposed by August Aichhorn. According Aichhorn (1925), there are three types of youthful offenders: those with underdeveloped superegos, those who have no boundaries set for them by their parents, and those with adequately developed superegos (Arrigo, 2006, p. 32; Sigmund Freud, n.d.). Aichhorn (1925) believed that an underdeveloped superego could lead to latent delinquency and cause the id to go unchecked; in these cases, the youth would act impulsively and seek instant gratification, and would not show remorse for his or her actions (Arrigo, 2006, p. 32). Aichhorn (1925) claimed that proper development of the superego was dependent on a child's ability to form loving attachments with their parents, however, he warned of the pitfalls of being loved too much by one's parents, which could contribute to the second type of youthful offender; if a child is loved too much by his or her parents, then they may be able to get away with anything as their parents do not set rules or boundaries for them. The third type of youthful offender has an adequately developed superego, however, as in social learning theory, they model their behavior after criminal behaviors exhibited by their parents (Arrigo, 2006, p. 32).