Abstract
Abstract Previous research assessing the applicability of Kohlberg's theory of moral development to the study of delinquency has been predominantly conducted by non-criminologists utilizing samples of adjudicated delinquents and truncated measures of juvenile deviance. Consistent with traditional delinquency studies in the field, our design employed a sample of high school youths (n = 109) and a lengthy self-report scale developed by Elliot and Ageton (1980). The data furnished little support for the conclusion that the moral development paradigm constitutes a promising general theory of delinquency. At the same time, the possibility cannot be dismissed that this perspective may provide insight into specific forms of delinquent conduct, and may be combined with a more sociological approach so as to examine how juvenile waywardness is shaped by the interaction between individual development and the moral context prevailing within a social area.
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