PARENTAL AFFECTION AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN GIRLS

Abstract

In i960, R. G. Andry studied male delinquent and non-delinquent subjects, testing twenty-seven inter-related hypotheses concerning perceptions of the adequacy of parental roles in key areas of the subjects' life experiences. The research reported here is basically a replication on female delinquent and non-delinquent subjects of Andry's original study. Specifically, information was sought as to whether it was possible to differentiate delinquent from non delinquent girls by differences in their perceptions of parental roles, and whether such differences were the same as or different from those Andry found between delinquent and non-delinquent boys. The investigation was undertaken partly in response to Andry's suggestion that it should be done, partly to explore the perceptions of delinquent and non-delinquent girls regarding parental role-playing in unbroken homes, and partly to attempt empirical confirmation of such theoretical formulations as that of Konopka (1966) regarding delinquency in girls. It is generally accepted that well-played parental roles are the sine qua non of good mental health in children. Theoretically it is held that delinquents (as compared to their non-delinquent peers) tend to experience: ( i ) an inadequate affectional response from one or both parents ; (2) inadequate psychological communication with one or both parents ; (3) an inadequate sense of security and protectedness, especially from the father; (4) an inadequate home environment, including such factors as greater tension due to intrafamilial quarrelling, and greater feelings of anonymity and isolation due to inter mediate ordinal position among siblings ; and (5) inadequate capacity for identification with one or both parents as sources of leadership and authority due to lax or erratic disciplinary practices.