Relative Involvement in Delinquency and Criminal Causality

ABSTRACT

In this paper, Clagett elaborates his theoretical model of Relative Involvement, developed during the past twenty years. Involvement, as conceptualized for this theoretical model, implies reacting closely related interactions among reciprocal variables and their relationships to delinquent and criminal behavior at three levels of causality. Those levels are analytically separable entities, but are not mutually reducible. Thus, the analytical levels are: the self, the social (i.e., micro-interactional), and the subcultural levels of causality. Major emphasis is devoted to each of those analytical levels of analysis, as well as (Sherif's) normative reference groups (not to be confused with Merton's “comparison groups”). Other important conceptual issues include: ego-attitudes and relative involvements of ego-attitudes. Finally, measurements of relative degrees of ego-involvements are explained through use of the Method of Ordered Alternatives (MOA).