Getting Specific About Psychological Inertia

A three-wave mediational analysis with two parallel mediators was performed on prospective data provided by all 1,354 (1,170 boys, 184 girls) members of the Pathways to Desistance study. In the analysis, baseline variety of offending scores (Wave 0) served as the independent variable, Wave 2 variety offending scores served as the dependent variable, and Wave 1 self-efficacy for conventional behavior and general confidence in avoiding future legal trouble served as mediators. Controlling for age, sex, race, parental socioeconomic status, callous/unemotional traits, and moral disengagement, it was determined that only self-efficacy for a conventional lifestyle successfully mediated the past delinquency–future delinquency relationship. From both a theoretical and practical standpoint, the current results indicate that efficacy expectancies specific to participating in a conventional lifestyle are more important in preventing subsequent delinquency than simple confidence in one’s ability to avoid future legal trouble.