Peers, Social Control, or Guilt? Self-Conscious Emotions as Explanation for Antisocial Behavior

ABSTRACT

Criminologists rarely include self-conscious emotions like guilt or shame to explain delinquency. Instead, factors external to the individual are often used, such as social institutions, the family, or peers. This study uses a longitudinal sample of 526 youth from two waves of survey data to assess the effects of peer influences, social control, and the self-conscious emotion of guilt on youth problem behaviors. Problem behavior is measured using teacher assessments at Time2. All other variables are baseline youth self-report measures that were collected at Time1. The results show that guilt statistically predicted teacher-assessed problem behaviors. Further work is needed to develop this measure in criminology.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sheila Royo Maxwell

SHEILA ROYO MAXWELL is an Associate Professor at the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her research centers on behaviors and attitudes toward law and sanctioning, particularly how these attitudes vary structurally and across ethnic and cultural milieus. Dr. Maxwell examines the precursors and contexts of non-compliance and offending behaviors and tests the efficacy of laws and sanctions in deterring offending and in encouraging compliance with regulations. She can be reached at [email protected]

Aracely Zepeda

ARACELY ZEPEDA is a Master’s student at the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. Her research interest centers on corrections law, especially within California’s correctional system. She is currently working on a paper that examines the effects of California’s Public Safety Realignment Act. Aracely can be reached via email at [email protected]

Amanda Rzotkiewicz

AMANDA RZOTKIEWICZ is a Master’s student in the department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences at Michigan State University. Her background combines the fields of anthropology, criminal justice, and health geography. Her research covers topics pertaining to the interplay of culture, community resources and the environment. Amanda can be reached via email at [email protected]