Abstract
The relationship between delinquent involvement and the perceived importance of a variety of others in influencing, creating, and sustaining identity was explored in four subsamples (n=238) of teens of varying levels of official delinquency. More delinquent teens were more likely to view conventional peers, delinquent peers and lifestyles, or no one at all as influencing their sense of self and identity. They were less likely to perceive parents and other adults as influential.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Csikszentmihalyi M, Larsen, R:Being adolescent: conflict and growth in teenage years. NY: Basic, 1984.
Erikson EH: Identity and the life cycle.Psych Issues 1:18–164, 1959.
Erikson EH:Identity. Youth and Crisis. NY: Norton, 1968.
Baldwin JM:The individual and society. Boston: Boston Press, 1911.
Bowlby J:Attachment and loss. Vol 1. NY: Basic, 1969.
Cooley CH:Human nature and the social order. NY: Scribner's, 1902.
James W:Principles of Psychology. NY: Holt, 1890.
Mead GM:Mind, self and society. Chicago: U Chicago, 1934.
Sullivan HS:Conceptions of Modern Psychiatry. NY: Norton, 1940.
Cantor N, Zirkel S: Personality, cognition & purposive behavior. In LA Pervin (Ed.),Handbook of personality theory & research. NY: Guilford, 1990.
Gergen KJ: Toward self as relationship. In K Yardley, T Honess (Eds.).Self and identity: Psychological perspectives. UK: Wiley & Sons, 1987.
Markus H: On splitting the universe.Psych Sci 1:1–5, 1990.
Markus H, Cross S: the interpersonal self. In LA Pervin (Ed.),Handbook of personality theory & research. NY: Guilford Press, 1990.
Rosenberg M: The self-concept. In M Rosenberg, RH Turner (Eds.),Social psychology. NY: Basic Books, 1981.
Kaplan HB:Self attitudes and deviant behavior. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear, 1975.
Jones EE, Farina A, Hastorf A, Markus H, Miller D, Scott R:Social stigma: The psychology of marked relationships. San Francisco: W.W. Freeman, 1984.
Oyserman D, Markus H: Possible selves and delinquency.J of Pers and Soc Psych 59:1–14, 1990.
Oyserman D, Markus, H: Possible selves in balance.J of Soc Issues 46:141–157, 1990.
Oyserman D, Saltz E: Competence, delinquency, and attempts to attain possible selves.J of Pers and Soc Psych, in press.
Thornberry TP: Toward an interactional theory of delinquency.Crimin 25:863–891, 1987.
Erikson EH: Genetic: Identification and identity: Pathogenic: The clinical picture of severe identity of confusion. In ZM Cantwell, PH Svajian (Eds.),Adolescence: Studies in development. Ill: F.E. Peacock, 1974.
Harter S: Cognitive development. In S Shirk (Ed.),Child psychotherapy. NY: Plenum, 1988.
Hirschi T:Causes of delinquency. Berkeley. Univ of California Press, 1969.
Kandel DB, Andrews K: Processes of adolescent socialization by parents and peers.The Internat'l J of Addictions, 22:319–342, 1987.
Damon W, Hart D:Self-understanding in childhood and adolescence. NY: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1988.
Miller WB: Lower class culture as a generating milieu of young delinquency.J of Soc Issues 4:5–19, 1958.
Shaw CR, McKay HD:Juvenile delinquency and urban areas. Chicago: Univ of Chicago Press, 1969.
Shoemaker DJ:Theories of delinquency. NY: Oxford U Press, 1984.
Synder J, Dishion TJ, Patterson GR: Determinants and consequences of associating with deviant peers during preadolescence and adolescence.J Early Adol 6:29–43, 1986.
Wilson JQ, Herrnstein RJ:Crime and Human Nature. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1985.
Cernkovich SA, Giordano P: Family relationships and delinquency.Crimin 25: 295–321, 1987.
Giordano PC, Cernkovich SA, Pugh MD: Friendships and delinquency.Am J of Soc 91:1170–1202, 1986.
Osgood DW, Weichselbaum HF: Juvenile diversion.J Res Crime & Delinq 21:33–56, 1984.
Oyserman D:Evaluation of community based intervention programs for juvenile delinquency. Univ of Michigan, 1985.
Ageton SS, Elliott DS:The incidence of delinquent behavior in a national probability sample of adolescents. Boulder, CO.: Behavior Research Institute, 1978.
Elliott DS, Huizinga AD, Ageton SS:Explaining Delinquency and Drug Use Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1985.
Bachman JG, Johnson, LD, O'Malley PM:Monitoring the future: Questionnaire responses from the Nation's high school seniors. Univ of Michigan, ISR, 1982.
Agnew R: The interactive effects of peer variables on delinquency.Crimin 29:47–72, 1991.
Abrahamse AF, Morrison PA, Waite LJ:Beyond stereotypes Santa Monica CA: Rand, 1988.
Olson CF, Warobey J: Perceived mother-daughter relations in a pregnant and no--pregnant adolescent sample.Adol 19:781–793, 1984.
Zongker CE: The self-concept of pregnant adolescent girls.Adol 12:477–488, 1977.
Carlson ML, Kaiser KL, Yeaworth RC, Carlson RE: An exploratory study of life-change events, social support and pregnancy decisions in adolescents.Adol, 19:765–780, 1984.
Oscamp S, Mindick B: Personality and attitudinal barriers to contraception. In Byrne, WA Fisher (Eds.),Adolescents, Sex and Contraception. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1983.
Cantor N, Kihlstrom J:Personality and social intelligence. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1987.
Markus H, Sentis K: The self in social information processing. In J Suls (Ed.),Psychological perspectives on the self, Vol. 1. Hillsdale, NJ: Eribaum, 1982.
Swann WB, Hill CA: When our identities are mistaken.J of Pers and Soc Psych 43:59–66, 1982.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Oyserman, D. Adolescent identity and delinquency in interpersonal context. Child Psych Hum Dev 23, 203–214 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00707150
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00707150