Consequential Thinking and Self-Reported Delinquency in High-School Youth

Abstract

This study examined differences between high- and low-level delinquent youth in their beliefs about the legal, moral, and social consequences of deviant behavior. Male and female high-school students were classified as high and low delinquent based on their responses to a self-report measure. In general, both male and female high delinquents were significantly less likely than male and female low delinquents to rate the consequences of rule breaking (cheating on an exam) behavior as important, probable, and severe. These differences were not found in the situations involving potential violence or violence. The ways in which these findings contribute to a social-cognitive model of delinquent behavior are discussed.