1. Attachment to School and Student Involvement in Delinquency
- Author
-
Hyman, Jeffrey M.
- Subjects
- Sociology
- Abstract
The intent of this study was to examine students' attachment to school and their involvement in delinquency. The model which was developed offered extensions of compliance and control theory. The basic contention was that students' perceptions of the power used by the school may lead to their negative attachment to the institution. Negative attachment was said to imply a weakened bond to the conventional society, a bond which might otherwise inhibit delinquency. The analysis indicated that negative attachment does not have a strong impact on self-reported delinquency. Further, although control theory did contribute to an understanding of juvenile delinquency, school attachment was not the most important aspect of the theory. In addition, a weak bond to conventional society had its greatest impact on delinquency among students who reported high levels of delinquent involvement prior to the initiation of the study. It was suggested that comparative organizational data are needed for a full investigation of the model. On a theoretical level, the study concluded that a complete explanation of delinquency requires a synthesis of middle-range delinquency models.
- Published
- 1977