Reflected Appraisals, Parental Labeling, and Delinquency: Specifying a Symbolic Interactionist Theory

Abstract

This article draws on behavioral principles of George Herbert Mead and other symbolic interactionists to specify a theory of the self to explain delinquent behavior. The theoretical framework builds on Mead's analysis of the social act, symbolic interactionists' specification of the self as a reflection of appraisals made by significant others, and labeling theorists' notions of dramatization of evil, deviance amplification, and secondary deviance. This integrated framework is tested with a causal model of the causes and consequences of reflected appraisals and delinquent behavior. The analysis provides general support for the theory. Reflected appraisals of self are substantially affected by parental appraisals and prior delinquency; future delinquency is sustantially affected by reflected appraisals of self as a rule violator; and reflected appraisals mediate much of the effects on delinquency of parental appraisals, prior delinquency, and structural variables.