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Socialization and Delinquency

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Socialization and Delinquency

What makes a child tick? Empirical research has examined the minds and lifestyle choices of adolescents and children for generations, trying to understand what impacts cognitive and social development. Adolescence and childhood in general is a time where the individual is heavily influenced by peer and familial relationships. These relationships can help create self-esteem and positive behavior choices, but can also negatively influence an individual in ways that increase overall delinquency. Peer relationships are the most influential in terms of how socialization can impact delinquency, yet the research here also shows that familial socialization can also impact levels of delinquency as well.
Socialization takes place through the construction of social relationships with others around the individual. According to the literature,
Children are socialized through processes involving four constructs: (1) perceived opportunities for involvement in activities and interactions with others, (2) the degree of involvement and interaction, (3) the skills to participate in these involvements and interactions, and (4) the reinforcement they perceive as forthcoming from performance in activities and interactions, (Hawkins 1996 p 156).

In this sense, interactions with the already pre-established social structure around children and adolescents help determine their later behavior and lifestyle choices. Socialization has a huge impact on how we define

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