Analysis of the Concepts of Low Self-Control and Maturity Gap in the Pick Delinquency Phenomenon of Adolescents at Taiwan

• Main Authors: Yo-han Tzeng, 曾幼涵
• Other Authors: Mei-Chi Lee
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2001
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/34188417184477480621

碩士 === 國立政治大學 === 心理學系 === 89 === With regard to the pick-delinquency phenomenon of adolescents, there are two major theories. A General Theory of Crime (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990) attribute the phenomenon to the crime committing opportunity caused by the strengthened motivation and action capacity of low self-control individuals who step into adolescence period. The Maturity-Gap Theory (Moffitt, 1993) emphasizes that the discrepancy between the newly developed needs and the limitation toward the fulfillment of these needs from social agents caused the jump of juvenile delinquency. 606 Students of general schools and 222 custodial adolescents of correction schools were asked to answer a questionnaire of which the variables related to the two theories were constructed. Using deviant behaviors as criterion variables and the measured variables as predicting variables, the regression analyses by sets of variables yield the following results: (1) instant fun seeking, impulsiveness, deviant peer association and sensual needs resulted from maturation are highly significant variables to predict deviant behaviors. Whereas, the inhibition of sensual maturation needs from adults are countering variables to prevent adolescents from doing deviant behavior. In sum, maturity is highly related to juvenile delinquency but not the way explained by the maturity-gap theory at least at Taiwan. Comparing the delinquents of " early onset (of crime)" and "late onset" with "never onset" adolescents, the deviant profiles of the former two groups are similar to each other, but with the "early onset" having higher scores on the measured undesirable variables which may result from cumulative effect of circulating interaction between the adolescent''''s low self-control characteristics and vicious environment. The same conclusion can be derived from the qualitative data from interviewing four delinquents of correction school.