Participant observation in a delinquent subculture.

Polsky, Howard W.; Kohn, Martin

doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.1959.tb00244.x

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Polsky and Kohn (1959; describe how the psychosocial order in a delinquent cottage enforced an illegitimate value system on all of its members. Self-esteem, status, and physical safety depended upon loyalty to this delinquent social system.…”

Section: Resistance Of Institutionalized Narcotic Addicts To Traditiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizing the Therapeutic Potential of an Addict Prisoner Community

Hughes

Floyd

Norris

et al. 1970

International Journal of the Addictions

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Section: Resistance Of Institutionalized Narcotic Addicts To Traditiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Organizing the Therapeutic Potential of an Addict Prisoner Community

Hughes

Floyd

Norris

et al. 1970

International Journal of the Addictions

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“…During this early period of observation, the observer was helped through discussion of his records to recognize his feelings con cerning favored members and cliques within the cottage. The transforma tion the observer underwent as a result of this intensive contact with de-: linquents is the subject of another paper (6).…”

Section: !mentioning

confidence: 99%

Participant observation in a delinquent subculture.

Polsky¹,

Kohn²

1959

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

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“…It is difficult to pinpoint the somewhat reserved origin of professional assent, but sociologists (e.g. Redl and Wineman, 1952;Miller, 1958;Polsky and Kohn, 1959) have pointed to the informal peer group culture as the primary antagonist to organizational goals for quite some time. Professional recognition of the controlling power of the peer group was at first based on informal observation of relatively subtle group transactions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Time Out From Reinforcement: A Technique for Dethroning the “Duke” of an Institutionalized Delinquent Group

Brown¹,

Tyler

1968

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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PSYCHOLOGICAL and sociological theorists now concur with custodial staff in stressing the negative influence of the inmate peer culture in correctional institutions. It is difficult to pinpoint the somewhat reserved origin of professional assent, but sociologists (e.g. Redl and Wineman, 1952;Miller, 1958;Polsky and Kohn, 1959) have pointed to the informal peer group culture as the primary antagonist to organizational goals for quite some time. Professional recognition of the controlling power of the peer group was at first based on informal observation of relatively subtle group transactions. Occasiorial coups d'etat provided dramatic emphasis to these observations. Theoretical expositions remained largely impressionistic and speculative. Recent advances (Buehler, Patterson, and Furniss, 1966;Patterson and Ebner, 1965; for a brief review) in social behavioural research, however, have provided impressive data indicating that, in a correctional institution, delinquent behaviour was rewarded by the peer group significantly more than socially conforming behaviour. Most of the rewards for delinquent behaviour occurred on the non-verbal level of communication. The staff also supported delinquent behaviour by indiscriminately rewarding and punishing it. Patterson, Littman, and Bricker (1967), in taking an additional step toward a theory of aggression, have provided empirical data depicting the effect of reinforcers on aggressive behaviour. In a nursery school setting they have graphically supported the hypothesis that the victim's reactions-e.g. compliance or counter-attack-are positively and negatively reinforcing and govern the rate of the aggressor's aggressiveassertive behaviour. Their speculations about the acquisition of aggressive-assertive behaviour are particularly apposite in thinking about how a delinquent youth gains and upholds the throne of dukedom.Correctional institutions, in coping with aggressive inmate behaviour, typically defer action until the behaviour is quite disruptive. The inmates test limits and the staff must contend with considerable aggressive-disruptive behaviour. When action is taken, or punishment administered, it is frequently carried out with no consideration of the contingency between the aggressive behaviour and the "consequence".Preliminary work (Buchard and Tyler, 1965;Tyler and Brown, 1967) suggests that systematic use of social isolation-time out from reinforcement-is effective in

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Participant observation in a delinquent subculture.

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Organizing the Therapeutic Potential of an Addict Prisoner Community

Organizing the Therapeutic Potential of an Addict Prisoner Community

Participant observation in a delinquent subculture.

Time Out From Reinforcement: A Technique for Dethroning the “Duke” of an Institutionalized Delinquent Group

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