Friday, November 7, 2014

Myth of Delinquency #6: All juvenile delinquents have low self-esteem.

            This is another one of those topics that could be argued either way and depends heavily on the source or the personal experiences of the person doing the arguing. I can tell you I have worked with adjudicated youth who are followers and those who are leaders. When we talk specifically about self-esteem, the results are very interesting and may or may not surprise you.
            To start from the beginning to understand why we are looking at these beliefs in the first place, please read the first post, “Clarifying Beliefs About JuvenileDelinquency.”



Myth 6 – All juvenile delinquents have low self-esteem.
"Low self-esteem is related to aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency" (Donnellan, Trzesniewski, Robins, Moffitt, & Caspi, 2005, p. 328). This statement is backed by empirical research and, quite possibly, common knowledge. Low-self esteem is the culprit for insecure youth committing acts with the motivation of potential friendship or popularity.
The other side of the story, however, is the adjudicated youth for whom self-esteem is a strengthening force, not a hindrance. Repeat offenders, or recidivists, are found to have high self-esteem. In a study of the psychological characteristics of juvenile offenders, Demuthova (2013) found, "recidivists … are more socially bold, venturesome, thick-skinned, uninhibited, open to change, experimental, liberal, critical, free-thinking … than non-recidivists...” (p. 182). She continues to say they are characterized by “extroversion...low warmth...exaggerated self-esteem" (Demuthova, 2013, p. 187).
While first time offenders with minor offenses may be characterized by low self-esteem and a “follower” mentality, the more serious and repeat offenders are more likely characterized by “exaggerated self-esteem.”