Abstract
Cross-lagged panel correlation technique is used to examine whether self-esteem has a greater effect on delinquency than delinquency has on self-esteem. Analysis of a nationwide study of tenth-grade boys shows that self-esteem is the more powerful causal factor, even when initial levels of delinquency are held constant. This result, however, is found to be stronger in the lower class than in the upper class. These data are interpreted as lending greater support to Kaplan's theory of the self-enhancing nature of delinquent behavior than to the idea of reflected appraisals.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, T. (1953). Markov chains and panel analysis. In Lazarsfeld, P. F., (ed.),Mathematical Thinking in the Social Sciences, Free Press, Glencoe, Ill.
Bachman, J. G., Kahn, R. L., Mednick, M. T., Davidson, T. N., and Johnston, L. D. (1972).Youth in Transition, Volume I, Blueprint for a Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Boys, Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor.
Backman, C. W., and Secord, P. F. (1962). Liking, selective interaction, and misperception in congruent interpersonal relations.Sociometry 25: 325–335.
Barton, A. H., and Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1962). Methodology of quantitative social research. In Varma, B. N. (ed.),A New Survey of the Social Sciences, Asia Publishing House, New York.
Bohrnstedt, G. W. (1969). Observations on the measurement of change. In Borgatta, E. F. (ed.),Sociological Methodology, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp. 113–133.
Campbell, D. (1963). From description to experimentation. In Harris, C. W. (ed.),Problems in Measuring Change, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison.
Campbell, D., and Stanley, J. C. (1963). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs. In Gage, N. L. (ed.),Handbook of Research on Teaching, Rand McNally, Chicago.
Cobb, S., Brooks, G. H., Kasl, S. V., and Connelly, W. E. (1966). The health of people changing jobs: A description of a longitudinal study.Am. J. Pub. Hlth. 56: 1476–1481.
Coleman, J. S. (1964).Introduction to Mathematical Sociology, Free Press, New York.
Coleman, J. S. (1968). The mathematical study of change. In Blalock, H., and Blalock, A. (eds.),Methodology in Social Research. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Dinitz, S., Dynes, R. R., and Clarke, A. C. (1969).Deviance: Studies in the Process of Stigmatization and Societal Reaction, Oxford University Press, New York.
Gordon, C. (1968). Self-conceptions: Configurations of content. In Gordon, C., and Gergen, K. (eds.),The Self in Social Interaction, Wiley, New York.
Heise, D. (1970). Causal inference from panel data. In Borgatta, E. F., and Bohrnstedt, G. (eds.),Sociological Methodology, Wiley, New York.
Kenny, D. A. (1975). Cross-lagged panel correlation: A test for spuriousness.Psychol. Bull. 82: 887–903.
James, W. (1950).The Principles of Psychology, Dover, New York, (originally published in 1890 by Henry Holt and Company).
Jensen, G. F. (1972). Delinquency and adolescent self-conceptions: A study of the personal relevance of infraction.Soc. Probl. 20(1): 84–103.
Jones, S. C. (1973). Self- and interpersonal evaluations: Esteem theories versus consistency theories.Psychol. Bull. 79: 185–199.
Kaplan, H. B. (1975).Self-Attitudes and Deviant Behavior, Goodyear Publishing, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Kaplan, H. B. (1976). Self-attitudes and deviant response.Soc. Forces 54: 788–801.
Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1948). The use of panels in social research.Proc. Am. Philosoph. Soc. 92: 405–410.
Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1968). Preface to the third edition. In Lazarsfeld, P. F., Berelson, B., and Gaudet, H.,The People's Choice, Columbia University Press, New York.
Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1972). Mutual relations over time of two attributes: A review and integration of various approaches. In Hamner, M.et al. (eds.),Psychopathology, Wiley, New York, pp. 461–479.
Lecky, P. (1945).Self-Consistency: A Theory of Personality, Island Press, New York.
Lipset, S. M., Lazarsfeld, P. F., Barton, A. H., and Linz, J. (1954). The psychology of voting: An analysis of political behavior. In Lindzey, G. (ed.),Handbook of Social Psychology, Addison-Wesley, Cambridge, Massachusetts, pp. 1150–1164.
Maslow, A. H. (1954).Motivation and Personality, Harper, New York.
McDill, E. L., and Coleman, J. S. (1963). High school social status, college plans, and academic achievement.Am. Sociol. Rev. 28: 905–918.
McDougall, W. (1932).The Energies of Men, Methuen, London.
Mead, G. H., (1934).Mind, Self and Society, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Pelz, D. C., and Andrews, F. M. (1964). Detecting causal priorities in panel data.Am. Sociol. Rev. 29: 836–848.
Reckless, W. C., and Dinitz, S. (1967). Pioneering with the self-concept as a vulnerability factor in delinquency.J. Crim. Law, Criminol. Police Sci. 58: 515–523.
Reckless, W. C., Dinitz, S., and Murray, E. (1956). Self-concept as an insulator against delinquency.Am. Sociol. Rev. 21: 744–746.
Reckless, W. C., Dinitz, S., and Murray, E. (1957). The “good” boy in a high delinquency area.J. Crim. Law, Criminol. Police Sci. 58: 18–26.
Rosenberg, M. (1957).Occupations and Values, The Free Press, Glencoe, Illinois.
Rosenberg, M. (1965).Society and the Adolescent Self-Image, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J.
Rosenberg, M., and Simmons, R. G. (1972).Black and White Self-Esteem, American Sociological Association, Washington, D.C.
Rosenberg, M., and Thielens, W. (1952). The panel study. In Jahoda, M., Deutsch, M., and Cook, S. W., (eds.),Research Methods in Social Relations, Vol. II, Dryden Press, New York, pp. 588–609.
Rozelle, R. M., and Campbell, D. T. (1969). More plausible rival hypotheses in the crosslagged panel correlation technique.Psychol. Bull. 71: 74–80.
Schur, E. M. (1971).Labeling Deviant Behavior: Its Sociological Implications, Harper and Row, New York.
Schwartz, M., and Tangri, S. (1965). A note on self-concept as an insulator against delinquency.Am. Sociol. Rev. 30: 922–926.
Secord, P. F., and Backman, C. W. (1961). Personality theory and the problem of stability and change in individual behavior: An interpersonal approach.Psychol. Rev. 68: 21–32.
Tangri, S. S., and Schwartz, M. (1967). Delinquency and the self-concept variable.J. Crim. Law, Criminol. Police Sci. 58: 182–190.
References
Bachman, J. G. (1970).Youth in Transition, Vol. 2, Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor.
Bachman, J. G., Green, S., and Wirtanen, I. D. (1971).Youth in Transition, Vol. 3, Institute for Social Research, Ann Arbor.
McCord, J. (1978). A thirty-year follow-up of treatment effects.Am. Psychologist 33(3): 284–289.
McCord, J. (1977). A life history approach to criminal behavior. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, November 16–20.
References
Hirschi, T., and Selvin, H. (1973).Principles of Survey Analysis, Free Press, New York.
Kaplan, H. B. (1975). Increase in self-rejection as an antecendent of deviant responses.J. Youth Adoles. 4(3): 281–292.
Kaplan, H. B. (1976). Self-attitudes and deviant response.Soc. Forces 54(4): 788–801.
Rosenberg, M. (1968).The Logic of Survey Analysis, Basic Books, New York.
Rosenberg, M. (1976). Beyond self-esteem. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, New York, August.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The research reported in this article was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH27747), which is gratefully acknowledged. The data and tabulations utilized in this article were made available (in part) by the Institute for Social Research Social Science Archive. The data were originally collected by Dr. Jerald G. Bachman, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan. Neither the original collector of the data nor the archive bears any responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
Received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and is interested particularly in the social influence on the self-concept.
Received his Ph.D. from Columbia University and is interested in the structure and development of the self-concept.
Received her Ph.D. from Stanford University. Current research interests are related to a longitudinal study of personality development.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rosenberg, F.R., Rosenberg, M. & McCord, J. Self-esteem and delinquency. J Youth Adolescence 7, 279–294 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537978
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537978