The Etiology of Delinquency and ADM Problems

Abstract

An integrated social psychological model that incorporated elements of traditional strain theory, social control (bonding) theory, and social learning theory was tested and presented by Elliott et al. (1985). A satisfactory integration required some modification of the “pure” forms of these theoretical perspectives, and a detailed logical and empirical justification of the modifications was also presented. Here, we present a brief overview of the theoretical model, a discussion of the methods used to test that model for the present chapter, and a test of that model for adolescent delinquency and alcohol, drug, and mental health (ADM) problems.