The contribution of self-concept in the etiology of adolescent delinquency

Self-concept was related theoretically with delinquency in the first two decades following World War II. Research in that period produced encouraging results, but only a paucity of empirical work on the relationship between self-concept and delinquency appears to have been done between the mid-1970s and early 1990s. This study utilized the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale to examine 230 adolescents from Australian high schools and from institutions incarcerating young offenders. They were categorized as nondelinquents, noninstitutionalized delinquents, and institutionalized delinquents. Differences were evident in the total and subscale scores of nondelinquents as compared with their delinquent counterparts. The implications of the results in the context of delinquency theories and for dealing with delinquent adolescents are discussed.