Exam 9: Peers and Delinquency: Juvenile Gangs and Groups

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• Youths who report inadequate or strained peer relations are the ones most likely to become delinquent. Adolescents who maintain delinquent friendships are more likely to engage in antisocial behavior and drug abuse.
• Youths who abstain from delinquency may become socially isolated because drinking, smoking pot, and shoplifting are the norm in adolescence.
• Research shows that peer group relationships are closely tied to delinquent behaviors: delinquent acts tend to be committed in small groups rather than alone, a process referred to as co-offending.
• Many youths are initiated into deviant activities such as smoking marijuana by their friends, and their friends pro-deviant attitudes are then used to help support continued involvement in antisocial and or illegal acts.
• In a process called deviancy training, close friends reinforce deviant behavior through talk and interaction. They talk about what they have done among themselves, for example, taking drugs, having sex, and laughing and joking about what happened. Their laughter and support leads to more rule breaking. The more that adolescents talk positively about and reinforce deviant acts, the more likely their friends are to engage in the antisocial behavior on a long-term basis.
• Some youths are more susceptible to peer influence than others. For example, boys who mature early and reach puberty at a young age are also the ones most likely to develop strong attachments to delinquent friends and to be influenced by peer pressure.
• Student views will vary.