Sociology 2259 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Juvenile Delinquency, Moral Panic, Social Learning Theory
30 Apr 2018
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Chapter 6- The Troubling and Troubled World of Youth:
• Troubling youth, such as young offenders, gang members and street youth= threat soc
• Troubled youth perceived first and foremost as threats to themselves, pot threats soc,
likely becoming “troubling” if probs not solved early enough
• Some level all youth viewed pot threats both themselves and larger society
• Youth- transitional time in life b/w childhood and maturity, no longer child but not yet
adult- varies across cult, time and even across context within part cult at specific point in
time (socially constructed)
Deviant youth: “Troubling” youth:
Youth crime:
• Extent and nature youth crime far from approx frightening pic painted in pop mind by
media images and recent changes in gov legislation
• Increase adult and youth crime 1962-1990- youth crime rates due factors other than
actual increases in youth crime, such as changing policing and admin practices, changes
in legislation and greater public pressure to control youth crime
• 2001, overall crime rate lowest point since 1972- overall downward trend
• Children and youth far more likely be victims crime than adults are
• Gap b/w media and actual crime rates= moral panics- exaggerated and sensationalized
concerns of a part phenomenon
• 5 elements moral panic: heightened concern, hostility toward offending group, certain
level consensus real threat, disproportionality (attention given phenomenon far greater
than level obj threat phenomenon presents) and volatility (erupt suddenly and may just
suddenly disappear, although may become institutionalized and reappear time and time
again)
• Moral panics are constructed within the media- youth crime overrep, portrayed new prob
soc and consistently linked part ethnic groups and classes (same portrait since early 20th
cent)
• Study= more objective- explained result following: learning deviant techniques and
motive peers (dif association theory), bonds w others that restrain most us from crime
(social bonds theory), level self-control dev early in life (self-control theory), struct
inequals in access legit opp (Merton’s strain theory) and to illegit opp (diff opp theory)
and rewards, punishments and role models exposed to in life (social learning theory)
• Early research sugg link b/w single motherhood and delinquent behav in children, but
link weak; qual and effectiveness parenting rather than strut household itself more
important det delinquent behav
• Parenting style- includes supervision, parental control and emotional ties
• Moderate control behav combined w moderate levels supervision and strong, positive,
emotional ties eff means infl child behav short and long-term, dev own internal moral
standards and higher levels self-control
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• High expectations, knowledge of and interest in who socializing w and what doing,
clearly explained rules and consequences breaking rules
• Addition high expectations, also flexibility (listen kids pov) and sub levels warmth and
affection- reduces risk neg outcomes in children
• Effective parenting styles ass w children who select higher quality peers as friends, have
stronger, more emotionally intimate and trusting relationships w friends and less
susceptible neg peer influences
• Single most effective predictor crim activity among youth is crim activity among friends
Youth gangs:
• Research prevalence gangs in CN virtually nonexistent
The “how” and “why” of gangs:
• Gangs form alt way achieving status, social acceptance and economic succ (Merton’s
strain theory)
• Status frustration theory sugg lower-class boys, if unable live up to middle-class
measuring rod pervades edu system, join w other sim boys in forming gangs engage in
expressive, destructive, non-utilitarian behavs rather than economically driven activities
• Dif opp theory- nature illegit opp present comm det nature gang behav
• Pursuit economic succ not component all youth gangs, pursuit status is
• Sources ident expression and expressions resistance among youth struct marginalized
• Individ membs gang have dif interests, motivations gang memb and understandings what
means be gang member
• Ethnographic research- embed selves in gangs extended periods time, interviewing gang
membs and observing daily activities
• Material incentives- increases chances making money= more and less effort pursue
individ- also include financial security fam hard time and networking future economic
endeavours
• Physical protection and time to resist living kids lives parents lived- join gang rejection
soc, type lives being offered
• Commitment to community and join gangs cont tradition (fams involved gens)
• Weak bonds of attachment, commitment to conventional soc, involvement in conv soc
and beliefs support conv soc play sig role gang membership
• Legacy colonization and residential schooling lasting effects aborig fams, contributing
fam instability and violence, high dropout rates and unemployment, ongoing discrim, neg
effects labelling have impact- gangs step in and fill gap disenfranchised and marginalized
The construction of the “gang problem”:
• Gang- any denotable group of adolescents/ young adults who are gen perceived as
distinct aggregation by others in neighbourhood, recog themselves denotable group
(almost invariably w group name) and been involved in sufficient number of illegal
incidents
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