Delinquent Girls' Perception of Prior, Current, and Future Selves and the Relationship of Self Description to Prior Adversities and Current Illegal and Prosocial Behaviors

• In Event: Identity Perception, Support, and Rehabilitation

Abstract

Delinquent girls have recently grabbed the attention of researchers because they are an increased proportion of the youth in juvenile courts. Much research focuses on delinquency as a result of family dysfunction, negative peer relations, and low academic commitment. However, this focus provides limited insight into the internal struggles of girls who are deeply enmeshed in the juvenile justice system. Literature examining the self perceptions of delinquent girls, as they tackle physical and emotional development during adolescence, is limited. Specifically, little is known about the way in which self perception changes among girls as they transition into adulthood. The current study describes 27 girls' perceptions of prior self, current self, and the attainability of positive future self. It also investigates the relationship of identity development to the adversities the girls experience and their current delinquency.

Author

• Marva Vernelle Goodson, Michigan State University