Sociology 2267A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Juvenile Delinquency, Parenting Styles, Inflectional Phrase
30 Apr 2018
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Chapter 7- Family, School, Peers and the Youth Crime Problem:
Family:
• Microscopic perspective (focus individ and behav in small social settings rather than
context larger social structures) and examined fam structure in terms of whether fam
broken (divorced/ separated) or whether both parents working
• Much early research and conceptual understandings adopted traditional Western model of
fam as the norm- nuclear fam= 2 heterosexual parents living w own (birth) juvenile kids
• Model trad nuclear fam doesn’t represent structs many fams today- many as 9 fam types
• Fam relationship studies not tied assumptions and look at such things as parenting skills,
parental supervision kids, parenting styles and attachment to parents
Family structure:
• Broken homes hypothesis- commonly held proposition children from divorced and
single-parent fams are more likely to be delinquent
• Children in one-parent fams, part F-headed fams, considerably poorer than those in 2-
parent fams= less support and supervision, esp if lone parent also has to work long hours
provide for fam
• Children need paternal discipline and boys esp need M (pref father) role models for
healthy dev
• Mavis Hetherington compared broken (no longer nuclear) w intact (nuclear) fams and
ident 3 major effects divorce on W may infl children’s behav:
o Single moms overburdened from working in labour force and caring for kids
o Single moms exp considerable financial stress, F-headed households earn less
than half M-headed households
o Single moms exp social isolation= fewer emotional and social supports
• Boys from fams w stepfather more likely report del behav than boys from homes w 2
birth parents and moms from 2-parent fams work outside home also cont del=
overburdened and cannot provide child-rearing supports and supervision children need- v
little evidence working moms produce more del (less time spent w kids doesn’t mean less
quality time)
• Relationship b/w broken homes and del weak at best- relationship stronger minor crimes
than for serious ones and to extent neg effects on kids, effects greater boys than girls
• Major prob fam struct research 1970s and 80s didn’t incorporate, for comparative
purposes, a comparison group fams not divorced- no way knowing kids non-divorced
fams exp probs w del
• Few studies did use comparison groups equally flawed relied on official data- just as
likely measured effect police and judicial att toward single-parent and F-headed
households
• Most damages done before divorce and exposure fights and arguments at home rel dep
and anger among adolescents and anger increased del behav
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• Single and working moms don’t cause del behav- parenting skills, styles and fam
dynamics, rather than fam struct, might account for weak relationship ident some studies
Parenting:
• Neg parent-child relationships and poor parenting skills have been ident as sig risk
factors youth criminality- children parents engage poor parenting practices more likely
have behav probs than other children
• 2 most imp aspects parenting behav are extent parents are supportive of kid’s needs
(parental responsiveness) and extent parents demanding approp behav from kids (parental
demandingness)
• Parenting styles:
o Authoritative- supportive and demanding= set stand and have expectations
consistent child’s age, discuss and explain disciplinary matters w kids
o Authoritarian- rejecting and demanding= value obedience and conformity, restrict
autonomy and favour use punitive disciplinary measures
o Indulgent- supportive and not at all demanding= allow considerable freedom,
opposed control/ disciplinary measures and see selves more as resources children
than disciplinaries
o Indifferent- rejecting and not at all demanding= spend little time w kids, know
little about their children’s activities and tend put own needs above kid’s (may
neglect kids in extreme cases)- del behav most likely found among indif parents
• More involved agg behav when parents are rejecting, highly punitive and/or lim nurturers
• NLSCY parenting styles measured on continuum from neg-inef/hostile- to positive-
interaction
o Ineff/ hostile measured terms frequency parents telling child they are bad/ not as
good as others/ whether angry when punishing children
o Punitive/ aversive- raising voices at kids/ using physical punishment, consistent=
following through w punishment after warning/ making sure child follows orders
o Positive interaction= laughing and playing w children
• 2/3 children receiving ineff parenting exhibited agg behavs comp only 4% kids whose
parents rarely used this style
• Parenting styles have far more impact kids behav patterns than do fam struct/ even
income level
• Step-blended fam structs associated w higher likelihood both violent and property del and
single-parent fams associated w higher chances property crime
• Sex remains most important predictor of violent del- 2x self-reported among boys
• Internal fam dynamics considerable more important than fam structure in affecting del
• Some studies have found correlation b/w parent and child criminology- children fed sent
fathers 2-4x more likely be in conflict w law than CN children in gen
• May be police and courts more likely criminalize misdeeds kids precisely b/c parents
have crim records and are known to the police
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• Fam control structures infl whether both parents work and whether in employment
occupy positions power and auth- del, esp boys, more correlated w patriarchal fam struct
• Children not attached to parents have higher rates del (Hirschi)
• Fam struct predictor del, regardless age, gender/ income- once parental attachments
considered (supervision, comm and quality relationships) stat relationship b/w del and
fam struct considerably diminished= parental attachments may explain why some
research has reported fam struct be imp predictor del
• Hyperactivity and hostile parenting direct contributors to misconduct and agg and high
parental support and parental monitoring rel greater SE and lower risk behavs
• Positive relationship w either mom/ dad reduced chances involvement violent del but not
effect property del
• Recently immigrated fams, overall lower rates reported del, where involvement in del at
all depends on relationships w fam and friends
• Parents low monitors (didn’t know where kids were/ who w) rates self-reported violent
del almost 5x higher, regardless gender/ age, than those parents high monitors
• Low-monitored youth attended school high levels del, involvement violent del greater
than if attended low del school
• Relationship b/w parental attachments and del behav not simple- first stage= low parental
attachment increases del and as expected del worsens attachment parents but last two
stages indicated while del neg influences attachment parent, attachment doesn’t have sig
effect del
• Parental influences accounting for del diminished considerably over time as adolescents
gain independence- by middle adolescence, attachment parents viewed effect del rather
than cause of it
The meaning of family attachment:
• Positive emotional attachments tend be most effective in reducing del- children feel
loved, ident w parents and respect their wishes less likely be del then kids come from
homes where there is conflict/neglect/ discipline lacking, erratic/ extreme
• More often than not mom are focus of research on fam relationships- fathers part
disruptive fam life and kids bad relationships w mom more frequently due to larger probs
in fam setting stemming from father’s violence
• Adults abused and assaulted in home, most often moms, have reduced capacity
supervising and monitoring their kids
• Need to ask what factors are responsible for weak attachments to parents (sometimes
good reasons)
Consequences of “bad” family relationships:
• Marc Le Blanc (1992) recog marital variables have direct links del behav- exposed
physical violence and fighting in home more likely behave agg, exhibit emotional
disorders and be involved property crime
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