Agency and delinquency among adolescence during their transition to adulthood: what role in the desistance process?

Recent studies have shown that agency plays an important role in the desistance process. This
variable allows the transition from delinquent identity to non-delinquent identity. However,
despite increasing literature about this topic, there is a lack of consensus regarding the role of
this variable in the desistance process. Also, the way to measure this phenomenon remains
unclear. In our study, agency is thought within a border framework, namely the understanding
of all kind of behavior. According to the social cognitive theory, emotional and cognitive
processes influence human behavior: emotions and thoughts that will define ways of acting
and will motivate behavioral changes. Outcomes expectancies can be help or hinder for the
concretization of behavioral change.
We conducted a qualitative research among adolescents (aged 17-18) who are engaged in a
delinquent trajectory. Our objective are to understand how these young in transition to
adulthood leave delinquent lifestyle by evaluating to their life course and delinquent course.
Each participant was interviewed with a semi-structured interview. To ensure that the
interviews provided rich insights into participants’ reality, the interview was designed to elicit
detailed information on relevant themes including identity, turning point, future and
delinquency trajectory. Desistance was not explicitly questioned. All interviews were taperecorded
and analyzed using IPA method (Smith, 2003). Mastery Scale (Pearlin, 1978),
Causal Attribution Scale (Rossier, 2002), Hope Scale (Snyder, 1991) and University Rhode
Island Change Assessment Scale (McConnaughy, 1983) were also administered.
We see that the younths interviewed are at different stage in their desistance process. All of
them, persistent or desistant, consider taking a hold on their lives. These results encourage
thinking agency in the understanding of all kind of behavior. We should then take into
account the beliefs and expectations of results as a variable mediating the relationship
between agency and desistance.