(Causal Theories of Juvenile Delinquency: Social Perspectives)
Charles Cooley in his publication Human Nature and the Social Order analyzed the personal perception of juvenile delinquents by means of the studies of children and their imaginary friends. Cooley develops his theory around the imaginary concept of looking glass self, which is considered to be a type of imaginary sociability. People introspectively imagine through the eyes of others in their social circles and make judgments of themselves on the basis of such observations. (Howard Bechler's Labeling Theory)
Briefly, Cooley put forth that the perception of an individual is what he or she thinks regarding what other people think in relation to them and it influences in some respect the mode that individual perceives or feels regarding him or herself. His ideology thus reveals that another person or group of people influence the individual's perception and resultantly his or her behaviors, attitudes and norms. (Dawson; Chatman, 30) Moreover, Charles Horton Cooley in his publication 'An Organic View of Degeneration' propounded that a child is said to degenerate implying that he does not come up to the standard made by his ancestors. It is natural that in the process of social organizations many norms and standards in every phase of life and to shun whatever fall below such standards. (An Organic View of Degeneration: Chapter 15 in Social Process)
The contemporary studies much revolves around the symbolic interactionist theory of crime and delinquency. The symbolic interactionist theory propounded by Cooley and Mead stresses much on the significance of identity or the individual's self-concept as a significant predictor of behavior. A similar study was conducted by David Brownfield of the University of Toronto and Kevin Thompson of the North Dakota State University on the relationship between self-concept or identity and juvenile delinquency. The findings of the study represent significant support...
Irrespective of the fact that an important relation exist between the peer delinquency and self reported delinquency but astonishingly peer delinquency had a lower potential effect in comparison to the symbolic interactionist measure of peer appraisals. Presently the behavioral geneticists and developmental criminologists have become more concerned with the role of reactive Genetics/Environmental correlation. The findings made it clear that reactive environment has much impact on the probability of delinquent conduct and self-concept. The reactive environment indicates the way that parents, peers, siblings, teachers and others in the youth environment are reactive to temperament and evocative behavior. (Brownfield; Thompson, 24)
References
Defining Juvenile Delinquency. Retrieved at http://www.jbpub.com/downloads/0763736287/Chapter_02.pdf. Accessed 3 November, 2005
Causal Theories of Juvenile Delinquency: Social Perspectives. Retrieved at http://www.skidmore.edu/academics/english/courses/en205d/student7/stud7proj2.html. Accessed 3 November, 2005
Howard Bechler's Labeling Theory. Retrieved at http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/becker.htm. Accessed 3 November, 2005
Dawson, E. Murell; Chatman, Elfreda A. Reference group theory with implications for information studies: A theoretical essay. Information Research. April 2001. Vol. 6; No. 3; pp: 18-21
Brownfield, David; Thompson, Kevin. Self-Concept and Delinquency: The Effects of Reflected Appraisals by Parent and Peers. Western Criminology Review. 2005. Vol: 6; No: 1; pp: 22-29
Cooley, Charles Horton. An Organic View of Degeneration. Chapter 15 in Social Process.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1918). pp: 153-168. Retrieved at http://spartan.ac.brocku.ca/~lward/Cooley/Cooley_1918/Cooley_1918_15.html. Accessed 3 November, 2005
