Group Overstressed

In connection with the family, the Gluecks feel strongly that American sociologists have grossly overemphasized the "group", gang, or cultural influences as the root causes of delinquency, shutting their eyes to the importance of the role of "family drama-affection relationships, disciplinary practices, the emotional tensions and other such crucially significant factors.

The Gluecks admit that neighborhood influences are not without some importance later in life: but they feel that the basic personality and character structure is laid down in the first agency of society, the family.

Following their stress on the importance of the role of the family the authors studied the history of delinquency, criminals, alcoholism, mental deficiency, emotional disturbances, and serious physical ailments not only in the immediate family, but in the grandparents, anus uncles. They also studied the cultural, psychological and emotional conditions in the home and the boy's progress in school.

The physiques of each boy were studied in terms of the famous classifications of Sheldon-endomorphy, ectomorphy, and mesomorphy. Data for this classification was obtained from detailed measurement of photographs of each boy from three sides.

Of couse each boy was given an extremely thorough medical examination. To determine intelligence each was given a battery of intelligence tests.

The study of temperament and character structure was carried on by means of the Rorschach (ink-biot) Test and interviews with each boy by a skilled peychiatrist.

Study Trait

After all the material was gathered, the researchers were in a very good position to begin investigation of exactly what factors determine deltsquent behavior. The object was to discover which traits were found among the deltsquents or a large portion thereof, while relatively lacking in the non-delinquent group.

The control group served as a yard stick against which the delinquests could be measured. Delinquents are often termed "deviates", but it is necessary to know what they deviate from. Otherwise a seemingly abnormal trait which may be seized upon as a dramatic explanation of the origin of delinquency may be present in like manner among non-deltaquents and therefore when regarding cause and effect, must be considered neutral.

As an example of this, one of the traditional explanations of the cause delinquency in the feeling of not being loved. The Glueck's study found that such a feeling existed to a marked degree in 84 percent of the delinquents, but also in 88 percent of the non-delinquents. Thus, it would appear that this feeling is one which is widespread among the children of the area studied, irrespective of their anti-social behavior. Consequently the Gluecks were forced to consider it causually neutral.

Other factors generally thought to be "causes of crime," including poor health (one percent of both delinquents and non-delinquents), neurotic behavior (25 percent of delinquents and 36 percent of the non-delinquents), feelings of insecurity or anxiety (89 percent of delinquents and 96 percent of the non-delinquents) have been shown to be neutral.

But, of course, the really significant portion of the study consists in the aggregate of those traits which have been shown to be significantly higher in the delinquent group. This obviously does not mean that each boy who possesses one or several of these traits must become delinquent, but as the Gluecks put "it becomes highly probable that we are dealing with some sort of causal connection between the factors and the behavior, rather than with casual or accidental coincidence between them.

The general portrait of the delinquent as compared to the non-delinquent reveals to us the important distinguishing traits. As a group, the Glueck study shows that delinquents tend to be mesomorphic, in constitution (solid, closely knit and muscular). In temperament they are more energetic, impulsive, extroverted, aggressive and destructive than the non-delinquents. In respect to attitude they are generally more hostile, suspicious, stubborn, unconventional, and adventurous. In intellectual life they tend to the direct and concrete rather than abstract expression and are less methodical than non-delinquents. In regard to background they are products of homes of little understanding, affection, and stability, in which the parents are usually unfit to serve as examples for their children.

These than are roughly the causes of delinquency, or as the Gluecks put it, "if we take into account the dynamic interplay of the differentiate factors from all these various levels and channels of influence, a rough causal explanation takes shape."