Parents, Peers, and Delinquent Action: A Test of the Differential Association Perspective

Abstract

This study attempts to go beyond the well-documented relationship between delinquent associations and involvement in delinquency to a consideration of the independent consequences of delinquent peers, parents, and "delinquent" definitions for delinquent action. The data fail to support Sutherland and Cressey's argument that family life is relevant to delinquency only when "delinquent patterns" are available to copy. Using a variety of measures of availability of deviant patterns, paternal supervision and support were found to be negatively related to delinquency to approximately the same degree under almost all conditions. Moreover, delinquent peers and paternal supervision and support were both found to influence delinquency involvement regardless of definitions favorable and unfavorable to the violation of the law. The family, peers, and definitions relevant to law breaking appear to exert independent effects on delinquency which are not adequately encompassed by etiological perspectives that introduce such definitions as intervening between other important variables and delinquency.