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SOCIO-STRUCTURAL DETERMINANTS OF SELF-ESTEEM AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR PATTERNS OF IMPRISONED MINORITY WOMEN

NCJ Number
69526
Author(s)
R A ARNOLD
Date Published
1980
Length
161 pages
Annotation
RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A STUDY THAT EXAMINED THE DERIVATIVES AND MEASUREMENT OF SELF-ESTEEM IN A LOWER-INCOME, BLACK FEMALE INMATE POPULATION.
Abstract
MULTIPLE METHODOLOGIES WERE USED IN STUDYING THE EXTENT OF VIEWING, QUESTIONNAIRES, AND SELF-ESTEEM SCALES WHICH WERE DEVELOPED FOR THE POPULATION UNDER STUDY (A NONRANDOM SAMPLE OF 42 BLACK FEMALE INMATES IN THE NEW YORK CITY CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION FOR WOMEN ON RIKERS ISLAND). TWO OTHER DIMENSIONS OF SELF-CONCEPT, SELF-PERCEPTION AND SELF-IDENTIFICATION, WERE EXAMINED IN RELATION TO SELF-ESTEEM. FINDINGS SHOW VARIATION IN SELF-ESTEEM AMONG THE SUBJECTS, A VARIATION SUPPORTED BY VARIATION ON THE SELF-PERCEPTION AND SELF-IDENTIFICATION DIMENSIONS OF SELF-C0NCEPT. PATTERNS IN VARIATION SHOWED THAT RESPONDENTS WHO PERCEIVED THEMSELVES AS CRIMINAL AND 'BAD' IDENTIFIED WITH CRIMINAL SUBCULTURE AND SCORED HIGH ON THE SELF-ESTEEM SCALES; WHEREAS, RESPONDENTS WHO PERCEIVED THEMSELVES AS NONCRIMINAL AND 'GOOD' IDENTIFIED LESS WITH THE CRIMINAL SUBCULTURE AND SCORED LOW ON SELF-ESTEEM. VARIATION IN SELF-ESTEEM WAS FOUND TO BE RELATED TO FAMILY PROBLEMS, DRUG ADDICTION, AND CONTACT WITH AGENCIES OF SOCIAL CONTROL. RESPONDENTS WHOSE BACKGROUND REVEALED NEGATIVE FAMILIAL AND SCHOOL EXPERIENCES, IDENTIFICATION WITH PEERS, AND PROBLEMS WITH DRUGS WERE THE SAME RESPONDENTS WHO EXPERIENCED EARLY AND PERSISTENT CONFRONTATION WITH SOCIAL CONTROL AGENCIES. THEY WERE ALSO THE RESPONDENTS WHO RECEIVED SHORTER SENTENCES FOR LESS SERIOUS CRIMES, WERE IMPRISONED OFTEN, PERCEIVED THEMSELVES AS CRIMINALS AND 'BAD,' AND SCORED HIGH ON SELF-ESTEEM. THE CONVERSE WAS ALSO SHOWN. SELF-ESTEEM IN THE SAMPLE STUDIED IS THUS EXPLAINED BY REFERENCE GROUP THEORY. THE INSTRUMENT AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS METHODS USED IN THE STUDY ARE APPENDED. TABULAR DATA AND APPROXIMATELY 135 REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)