The interrelations of socio-moral reasoning, perceptions of own parenting and attributions of intent with self-reported delinquency
Purpose. This study considers the relationships between moral reasoning, perceptions of parenting, attribution of intent, and self-reported delinquency among young male offenders and non-offenders. Methods. A sample of 97 convicted male young offenders and 77 male non-offenders were assessed using t...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Contributors: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2000
|
| In: |
Legal and criminological psychology
Year: 2000, Volume: 5, Issue: 2, Pages: 201-218 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Summary: | Purpose. This study considers the relationships between moral reasoning, perceptions of parenting, attribution of intent, and self-reported delinquency among young male offenders and non-offenders. Methods. A sample of 97 convicted male young offenders and 77 male non-offenders were assessed using the Sociomoral Reflection Measure-Short Form, the EMBU (a measure of own perceptions of parenting), a measure of Attribution of Intent, and a self-reported delinquency checklist. Results. Analyses revealed that offenders had significantly less mature moral reasoning than non-offenders, and perceived their fathers as more rejecting. They also exhibited a greater hostile attributional bias than non-offenders. Correlational analyses revealed that perceived parenting was related to attribution of intent in both samples. There were also significant relationships between moral reasoning and attribution of intent among the non-offenders. Perceived parental rejection and emotional warmth, moral reasoning and attribution of intent were significantly related to levels of self-reported delinquency among the offenders. For the non-offenders, self-reported delinquency was related to attribution of intent. The most significant predictors of self-report delinquency scores were age, perceived paternal emotional warmth, and incorrect attribution of hostility among offenders and incorrect attribution of hostility for male non-offenders. Conclusions. The findings suggest that theories of delinquency need to account for the complex interactions between environmental factors (such as parenting) and social-cognitive processes (such as attribution of intent). Furthermore, by identifying areas in which offenders experience problems, more effective interventions can be developed. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2044-8333 |
| DOI: | 10.1348/135532500168092 |