[en] Large surveys in Western countries give pictures of adolescent well-being related to delinquency and group affiliation. The belonging to a particular country, city or neighbourhood with their social structure influences the probability to have delinquent activities in group increasing or decreasing the risk of marginalisation, the sensibility to deviant values and the well-being
related to peers’ acceptance. A general process would exist by which, firstly adolescents oppose themselves to the parents’ authority and seek for acceptance among their peers. This leads to a spiral when the youth tries to resolve his cognitive dissonance between the immoral acts he is invited to commit with his friends and his personal value system learned in his family, school and
other institutions. In adolescence, the influence of peers can be positive or negative; it can be “protective peer-contagion” with positive response to normative talk or “deviant peer-contagion” with positive response to deviant talk or behaviour. At the micro level, well-adjusted peers are able to resist the influence of deviant peers. The participation to non-homogenous mixed
groups seems to facilitate more normative talks. This leads to the hypothesis that the progressive extension to differentiated groups when adolescence is going through will strengthen their ties with conventional norms and contribute to their well-being.
Disciplines :
Treatment & clinical psychology
Author, co-author :
Born, Michel ; Université de Liège > Départ. de Psychologies et Cliniques des Systèmes humains > Départ. de Psychologies et Cliniques des Systèmes humains
Cattelino, Elena
Gavray, Claire ; Université de Liège > Institut des sciences humaines et sociales > Institut des sciences humaines et sociales
Glowacz, Fabienne ; Université de Liège > Départ. de Psychologies et Cliniques des Systèmes humains > Clinique de la Délinqu.,des inadapt.soc.& proces.d'insert.
Language :
English
Title :
Adolescent delinquent behaviours as attempts of group social integration and well-being through social acceptance?
Publication date :
May 2015
Main work title :
Youth, Offense and Well-Being . Can Science Enlighten Policy?
Author, co-author :
Carneiro, Roberto
Carneiro, Maria Ana
Publisher :
CEPCEP – Centro de Estudos dos Povos e Culturas de Expressao Portuguesa . Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbonne, Portugal