Competence, delinquency, and attempts to attain possible selves

Bibliographic Data

ID6204587
AuthorsDaphna Oyserman (0000-0002-2727-2167, Wayne State University, corresponding author), Eli Saltz
Year1993
Volume65
Issue2
Pages360-374
Publication date1993-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Personality and Social Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3514 • E-ISSN: 1939-1315
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037//0022-3514.65.2.360
PMID8366425
OpenAlexW2086206339
LanguageEN
Citations received73

The impact of impulsivity, possible selves, and social and communication skills on delinquent involvement in inner-city high school and incarcerated boys (aged 13-17, N = 230) was explored. Impulsivity, perceived attempts to attain possible selves, and balance in possible selves were hypothesized to directly influence delinquency. Social and communication skills were hypothesized to influence delinquency directly and indirectly through their effects on impulsivity, balance, and attempts to attain possible selves. These factors discriminated moderately well between high school and incarcerated youths. Impulsivity was an especially powerful predictor of self-reported delinquency among high school youths but not among incarcerated youths. The effect of other variables differed somewhat for different categories of delinquency (aggression, theft, hooliganism, and school truancy) and between subsamples, suggesting the importance of examining the subjective meaning of each of these behaviors for the individual in his social context.

Aggression · Competence (human resources) · Context (archaeology · Criminology · Developmental psychology · Impulsivity · Juvenile delinquency · Poison control · Truancy · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Emotional Intelligence and Performance · Homelessness and Social Issues · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Psychology · Social Psychology