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Deviant behavior and self-enhancement in adolescence

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Abstract

The hypothesis that “among initially high self-derogation subjects deviant response patterns (alcohol and drug abuse, delinquent patterns, etc.) are related to subsequent decreases in self-derogation” was tested with data from a longitudinal survey study of adolescents. Among higher and lower socioeconomic status (SES) males initially high self-derogation subjects who adopted (relative to those who did not adopt) any of several deviant patterns manifested significantly greater subsequent base-free decreases in self-derogation. For higher SES females only narcotics use (and among lower SES females no deviant pattern) was significantly related to subsequent decrease in self-derogation. Together with collateral data, these results indicated that where the deviant patterns were compatible with valued social roles and the subjects were able to defend against negative responses by others (but not under mutually exclusive conditions), deviant patterns functioned to reduce self-rejecting feelings among initially highly self-derogating subjects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas

    Howard B. Kaplan (Professor of Sociology)

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  1. Howard B. Kaplan
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Received his Ph. D. in sociology from New York University in 1958. Current research interests are social psychiatry and, more specifically, the reciprocal relationship between self-attitudes and the adoption of deviant response patterns.

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Kaplan, H.B. Deviant behavior and self-enhancement in adolescence. J Youth Adolescence 7, 253–277 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537977

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