[Environmental factors in juvenile delinquency]

Experimental data are cited for the proposition that the complicated aspects of juvenile delinquency can only be understood and explained by adopting a simultaneous psychological and sociological approach. It is also shown that the manifestations of delinquency, though not its actual presence, may be influenced by sex and a depressed city or rural background. Environmental factors serving as stimulating features and hereditary (i.e. predisposing) factors undoubtedly contribute to the formation of the Ego. The former, however, are elaborated by their receipient and are not sufficient to explain a certain type of behaviour. The influence of cultural models should not be underestimated. These, where predominant, tend to render normative what may be considered as deviant.