Significant factors in the social situation of offender adolescent development

• Main Author: A.M. Velikotskaya
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow State University of Psychology and Education 2014-08-01
• Series: Психологическая наука и образование (2007. Online)
• Subjects: social situation of adolescent development; adolescent criminal behavior; adolescent identity formation; family structure; social status of the family; parental control level; the quality of adolescent relationships with parents
• Online Access: http://psyedu.ru/files/articles/psyedu_ru_2014_1_Velikotskaya.pdf

The article is a review of foreign studies, which analyze the factors in the social situation of adolescent development, influencing the offenses committed by juveniles: the role of family structure and social status (income, parental education), the role of relationships with parents (parental control level, quality of teenager’s relationships with parents), the importance of social relationships with peers. We show some characteristics of the family, which are the factors of adolescents protection from the offense commitment. It is also shown that adolescent relationship with peers play an important role in the processes of his socialization; that the problematic relationships with peers increase the likelihood of teenager’s criminalization, despite having family protective factors. Studying the preconditions of offenses in teens’ social and family sphere can be used to develop programs to support adolescents who have already committed offenses, and prevention programs for adolescents at risk of probability of initiation to the criminal community and committing crimes.