Social Class, Social Mobility and Delinquent Behavior

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the significance of the relationships between social class, social mobility, and delinquent behavior. Data was collected from a population of 683 pupils attending a 9-12 urban high school.Information regarding delinquency was gathered by using an anonymous 120 item "delinquency inventory." The chi-square technique was employed to analyze the data which showed that, in general, there is no significant relationship between social class status and delinquent behavior. A very strong relationship exists between social mobility status and delinquent behavior. Adolescents moving downwardly in the social structure are more heavily involved in delinquency; adolescents moving upwardly are least involved. The major conclusion is that juvenile delinquency is less a function of the class an individual is in and much more a function of the class to which he aspires or toward which he is moving.OST STUDIES reporting on the relation-

The attitudes of youth workers on delinquency and delinquency programs

“…,Lower class youth become involved in the subculture because of shared problems of low self-esteem resulting from being measured by middle -clas standards for which they were not properly socialized (Cohen, 1955). This basic theme appears 'in the statement, "The same value system impinging upon children differently equipped to meet it, is instrumental in generating both delinquency and respectability, II (Geis;1965). Delinquency, therefore, is a gang member's response to his problems with status and self-respect.…”

Guidance of Students with Special Characteristics

“…The external-internal-control variable was discussed as a generalized personality dimension, and some of the possible developmental conditions involved were suggested. Pine (1965) studied a large sample of high school students who were stratified according to social class, social mobility, and delinquent behavior. Included in the list of delinquent behaviors were truancy and other school offenses.…”

Counseling Research, Theory and Practice--1965.

“…Ringness (1965) indicates that non-successful students are not "rebels" but fail to accept school as well as parental norms for academic achievement and are, instead, more concerned with popularity with their peers, the non-successful students received less positive and more negative reinforcement at both home and school for their attainments. A contrast is provided by Pine's (1965) finding that delinquency is less a function of the social class of an individual and more a function of the class to which he aspires oi is moving: the upwardly mobile student with great effort seeks to overcome his lower class background in exchange for middle class credentials; the downwardly mobile person reacts m protest to the middle class society of which he cannot be a part. Concerning delinquents, the findings of Shore, Massimo and Ricks (1965) suggest, " .…”