Northgate
Baptist Church
Northgate
Baptist Church
Who Is To Blame For Causing
Juvenile Delinquency?
I. Are The Parents To Blame --- Yes --- No --- Maybe?
A. It is Easy and Popular to blame the parents:
Kids don't make the movies, they don't write the books,
B. If your child has problems --- You Will Be faulted for your child-rearing practices.
1. If you were Strict --- you will be told that your child has been affected by your Harshness.
2. If you were Permissive --- you will be accused of being too Indulgent.
3. If you were relatively Democratic --- you might be considered Wishy-Washy or Indifferent or even Inconsistent.
C. It has been claimed that children become delinquent because their Parents Overindulge Them to the point that they continue to Expect The World To Cater To Them.
1. But, like "Neglect" --- "Spoiling" leads to Different Outcomes.
2. Some overindulged children Remain Self-Centered and Dependent on others --- however, they Do Not Become Criminals.
D. For generations people have believed that if a youngster is bad there Must Be Something Wrong With His Parents.
1. In "New Light on Delinquency and its Treatment" (1936), William Healy and Augusta Bronner reported that youngsters Turned To Crime largely Because of:
"deeply emotionally felt discomfort" stemming from a lack of "satisfying emotional relationships in [the] family circle."
2. Today the Belief Persists that youngsters turn to crime because of psychological trauma and conflict experienced at the hands Of The Parents.
E. Some sociologists believe that the child enters the world much like a formless lump of clay to be Molded By Parents and later By Society.
1. This perspective is not only Clinically Unsound but has Proved Damaging.
2. Psychologist Anneliese Korner wrote that this ---
"One Way Street" view of child rearing that emphasizes what the parent does to the child has "helped created a generation of Guilt-Ridden Parents."
F. Research during the last decade has documented what every parent of More Than One Child has known --- children are born with Different Temperaments.
G. Delinquent youngsters come from all social classes and from all kinds of homes --- the Variation In Their Upbringing is enormous.
1. If a Domineering Mother or an Inadequate Father produce delinquent children, why is it that Most children who have such parents Are Not criminals?
2. Many children with Weak or Irresponsible role models become Honest, Productive adults.
3. Some children with Devoted, Strong, Stable, Positive, and Responsible role models become Criminals.
4. Criminals come from All Kinds of Families and Neighborhoods.
a. Most Poor people are law-abiding.
b. Most kids from Broken Homes are not delinquents.
c. Most youngsters who suffer Neglect or Abuse do not become criminals.
H. At a Very Early Age, youngsters begin making a Series of Choices to live a life that he considers Exciting.
1. A life in which he is Determined To Do Whatever He Wants.
a. He Ignores Restraints.
b. He eventually Turns Against His Family.
c. He Scoffs at those who live Responsible Lives.
d. He Complains About Unfair Treatment.
2. As a child:
a. He was a Dynamo of Energy,
b. He had an Iron Will,
c. He insisted upon Taking Charge,
d. He Expected others to Indulge His Every Whim,
e. He Appetite for adventure was Unquenchable,
f. He Takes Risks,
g. He becomes Embroiled in Difficulties --- and then Demands to be Bailed Out and Forgiven.
3. While others are seeking recognition through schoolwork, sports, or social activities, this child thumbs his nose at it all.
4. The Parents become the First of His String of Victims:
5. All Children Are Self-Centered and shape their parents' behavior by acting in a particular manner to get what they want --- but All Do Not Become Criminals.
I. By portraying themselves as Victims, the delinquent Seeks Sympathy and hopes to clear himself of guilt.
1. There is a tendency to Shift Responsibility from the child to the parents.
2. They relate only What Others Did to them --- omitting What They Did to make a bad situation even worse.
3. We ought not to Limit Our Inquiries to what parents have done to children but strive to determine What Children Have Done To Their Parents.
4. As one youth said to a friend --- "The next time he accuses me, I'll Act Heartbroken the way I did before, and He'll Feel Guilty."
J. However, Suburban Delinquents do have contributing factors:
1. Intense pressures to compete --- Unrealistically high expectations,
2. Pushed to grow up too fast,
3. Materialism,
4. Parents who neglect them,
5. Parent who are overly protective.
K. Delinquents usually contend that their parents did not Understand them and failed to Communicate with them.
1. Therapists Conclude that the child's parents are aloof, uncaring, or perhaps irresponsible --- The Deficiency is attributed Almost Entirely To Parents.
2. The counselor's assumption was that Because The Child was so clearly out of control --- the Parents Were Inadequate Parents.
3. The child may be bribed to attend one or two sessions --- where he'd hurl accusations at the Parents
--- then the parents become the Patients.
4. If we could be Invisible Observers in the homes of delinquent youngsters, we might reach a Different Conclusion.
a. He will greet Parental Interest and Concern with Accusations that the Parent Is Prying into his business.
b. He Shuts His Parents Out of his life because he doesn't want them or anyone else to know what he is up to --- He Is The One Who Chooses Not To Communicate.
L. A psychiatrist can always fish for some Underlying Problem and spot conflict in Any family.
1. There is No Perfect Family.
2. However, To Conclude that criminal behavior stems from obvious family psychopathology is A Mistake.
3. Many psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers seem Not to allow for the Reign of Free Choice.
4. Children do Not Inevitably pattern themselves after the qualities of their parents.
a. Responsible Role Models may have an Irresponsible Child and vice versa.
b. Children Decide who they want to be like and in what ways.
M. The delinquent child has Contempt not only for his parents' Advice and Authority but for the Way They Live --- no matter what their social and economic circumstances.
1. If they are Poor --- he scorns their lack of success.
2. If they are Affluent --- he scoffs at their achievements.
3. Criminals Claim That They Were Rejected by parents, neighbors, schools, and employers.
a. But, rarely does a criminal say Why he was rejected.
b. It was the criminal who Rejected His Parents rather than vice versa.
N. In most of these families, Corporal Punishment is an unpalatable solution --- the parent preferring Reason.
1. They believe that Resorting To Violence is no solution.
2. Whacking their offspring, they believe, has virtually no long-range effect except to Convey The Message That Violence Is Acceptable.
3. Anyway, the child now has a new weapon --- "If You Touch Me, I'll Report You."
O. No matter how much upheaval there is in the family and no matter how serious the wayward child's offenses --- the Parents Believe for a long time that He Is Basically Good.
1. At first, they felt that he would just Naturally Grow Out of his disruptive behavior pattern.
2. Later, his parents said: --- "The Cute gave way to the Unbelievable."
P. Shifts In Attitude (convictions), on the part of the parent, are a consequence of a parent's Desperate Effort To Draw Close To The Child.
1. However, if the parent Caves In On One Conviction --- he may cave in on other issues.
2. After being exploited, the parent begins to realize that he has been Played For A Sucker.
3. He has Compromised Himself before his family.
4. He has been Won Over By The Child into a Destructive Alliance --- many time against his/her Spouse.
Q. The parents are usually the Victims, the child the Victimizer, not the other way around.
1. The parents of these children Rarely Know Where Their Off-Spring Are.
a. Usually, this is Not Due To Negligence but rather to the youngster's Cleverness at concealing his activities.
b. Often he says he is going one place but goes another.
2. He does Not Want His Parents To Know who his friends are.
II. What About Peer Pressure? --- How Real Is It?
A. When parents are ask what went wrong in their children's lives --- many would reply:
1. "My child ran with the Wrong Crowd."
2. "My son was a good boy at heart but he was Corrupted By Others.
B. Is Peer Pressure a critical factor?
1. Must teens go along with the crowd in order to acquire Self-Esteem and a Sense of Belonging.
2. Do youngsters turn to crime, alcohol, and drugs because they Succumb To The Pressures of their peer group?
3. Are children the Hapless Victims who are contaminated by pernicious influences as some sociologists and mental health professionals would like for us to believe.
4. Is It True, as sociologist E. H. Sutherland says:
"People become criminals because of their close contact with others who are in crime?"
5. Or as sociologist Martin Gold states:
"Boys are driven into deviant behavior because of repeated failure to achieve status in society."
C. Sure there is the desire to belong to the crowd --- but the question is, Which Crowd?
(Teens Choose the companions they like or admire --- who they want to associate with.)
D. The delinquent places a Lot of Importance on Having Friends --- however, the delinquent does Not Even Know what True Friendship is all about.
1. Trust, Loyalty, and Sharing are Incompatible with his way of life.
2. He does Not Know how to Hold A Discussion --- he says his piece and Ignores or Shouts Down those who disagree with him.
3. His Humor is at the Expense of Others.
a. He delights in mocking, mimicking, and other ways of making fun of people.
b. Delinquents Build Themselves Up By Tearing Others Down.
c. His Close Associates are Not Excluded from this.
E. Some delinquents are attracted to Competition, --- where they are Determined To Outshine everyone else --- even their closest friends.
1. Their entire Self-Image is on the line --- They must be on top.
2. They will Resort To Any Tactic that they can think of in order to win.
a. They strive to Impose Their Will --- and either con or force others to operate by their rules.
b. If they even begin to sense that they will not come out on top, they Cheat, Fight, or Quit --- dismissing the activity as silly and boring.
3. They are impossibly Arrogant Winners --- or else Revenge-Seeking Losers.
4. In any group activity, they have No Sense of Teamwork --- He is the enterprise, whereas others are merely lackeys to carry out his wishes.
F. What about peer pressure and Drugs & Alcohol?
1. Alcohol can only bring out what is Already Part of the person's thinking and emotional makeup.
2. The delinquent Is In Control of what he does.
a. He may Rationalize A Crime by telling others, "I was blasted. I couldn't see beyond my nose."
b. Adults Often Fall For This and believe he was not in control of himself.
c. They Blame The Alcohol and their child's drinking buddies, but not the youngster himself.
G. Some adults even consider alcohol and drug experimentation as a "Rite Of Passage" --- Clayton Williams ...
H. Is there as strong peer pressure to use Drugs and Alcohol as many kids would have you believe?
1. Who is considered a drug user? --- Lumped together are:
a. People who have experimented once or twice and stopped,
b. And people who have been getting high several times every day for years.
c. However, Most teenagers, after a brief trial, Discontinue drug use because drugs do little for them.
2. This is a far cry from being a victim of peer pressure --- We Choose our friends.
I. The True of The Matter:
1. The delinquent Has Chosen to associate with others who are Willing To Accommodate Him.
2. He is Neither Corrupted by others Nor Dependent on them for ideas.
III. Are The Schools (Public or Private) To Blame? --- Do They Breed Criminals?
A. Schools Do Have Shortcomings, and valid criticisms can be made of them:
1. Incompetent teachers,
2. Overcrowded classrooms,
3. Antiquated physical plant,
4. Unimaginative or rigid curriculum,
5. Lack of discipline, etc.
B. However, only a Minority of students Exposed to any or all such adverse conditions Are Delinquent.
C. The school does not reject the anti-social youngster until he is impossible to deal with --- He Rejects School long before it rejects him.
1. For them, School Is Boring --- its Requirements Stupid --- the Subjects Meaningless.
2. No matter what he is offered, it does Not Suit Him.
3. He Exploits the school --- using it as an arena for crime --- or as a cover for it.
4. It is Not Incompetent Teachers nor an Irrelevant Curriculum that drives him out of school.
D. Anti-social youths maintain a reputation as individuals who are Not To Be Messed With.
1. Teachers who make them toe the line are to be Outwitted and Made Fools Of.
2. The National Institute of Education reports that nationwide 5,200 secondary school teachers are Physically Attacked each Month.
3. According to one report, 22% (4.6 million) of secondary school students Avoid Certain Bathrooms in their schools because of fear.
4. Delinquents Stake Out Their Territory and Establish Supremacy.
5. What others consider as Getting In Trouble --- he perceives as a Boost To His Self-Image.
E. Their Illiteracy is Not a consequence of Mental Deficiency but of an Attitude toward classroom learning.
1. He objects to others Telling Him What To Do --- he refuses to tolerate others Evaluating Him.
2. The delinquent is certain that he Is Smarter Than The Others --- He claims, "I could get all A's if I wanted to, but school sucks."
3. However, they usually choose the easiest subjects.
4. Many of these children are designated "Learning Disabled" ---- This is alleged to account for both their Academic and Behavioral difficulties.
5. Most delinquent children Do Function Far Below Their Potential --- rarely is the problem a lack of intelligence.
F. These children are puzzling to the school because they are so Changeable.
1. They may be regarded as Unmotivated, Inattentive, Passive, Negative, Sad, Hostile, and Withdrawn.
2. Other times, they are often analyzed as Hyperactive and placed on Medication --- Rarely does this have a Lasting beneficial effect.
G. Some teachers firmly believe that these pupils are Emotionally Disturbed and Victims of Forces Beyond Their Control.
1. Their classroom strategy is to Foster Whatever Strengths they can find in such pupils and to Nurture In Them A Positive Self-Concept.
2. They Encourage the delinquent in what he can do well --- and Downplay His Academic Weaknesses and Deviant Behavior.
3. They systematically Reward Desired Behavior and Ignore or Penalize Undesirable Behavior.
H. The youngster wants the "good time" but Despises Earning It On "Others'" Terms.
I. However, Remember that the Delinquent Perceives Kindness As Weakness.
A Search For The Truth
