Juvenile Delinquency from a Behavioral Psychological Approach and a Functional Sociological Approach

Abstract: This is a 7 page paper discussing a psychological and a sociological approach to juvenile delinquency. The behavioral psychological theory of juvenile delinquency in accordance with the theories of B.F. Skinner finds that juvenile delinquency is largely a response to the stimuli presented to the individual within his environment. In other words, children learn aggressive behavior and this aggressive behavior may be reinforced in their environment until that environment changed. The functional sociological approach as used by Emile Durkheim shows that although criminal elements will always appear in society as a result of the conditions of a growing and changing society, overall juvenile delinquency is a reaction from how society has treated that individual in that the delinquent youth has not become part of a social group and reacts in an anti-social way. Despite the slight differences in these approaches, both the psychological and sociological theories support the idea that youths are largely not responsible for their own actions but these actions are largely a result of a reaction or a response to their environment. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

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Catagory:

Subcatagory: Juvenile Justice

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