The Impact Of Maturity And Parenting Style In Delinquent Behaviors

Most of the previous research about juvenile delinquency has focused on why some adolescents become delinquent. Elliott and Voss (1974) theorized that delinquent behavior occurs due to the aspiration opportunity disjunction, or goals that are beyond one’s means. Moffitt (1993) shifted the focus of research as to why most adolescents quit their delinquent behavior and others persist towards a lifetime of criminal activities. Mounts (2002) found that parents who had higher levels of parenting management practices had adolescents with lower levels of drug use and drug using friends. Moffitt (1993) proposed that it is a perceptual shift or an exit from the maturity gap that ends illegal behavior for most adolescents. The current study focused on the impact of maturity and parenting style on delinquent behaviors. Through the examination of self-reported delinquent behaviors, psychosocial maturity, and the type of parenting style for mid-western college students, ages 18 to 20-years of age, utilizing linear regressions, this study found that the actual supervision conducted by parents is a better predictor and deterrent than parental involvement. Psychosocial maturity was also able to predict delinquent behavior, as those who score higher in psychosocial maturity had lower levels of delinquent behaviors