Understanding & Preventing Teenage Delinquency
Page Two
A given teenager, however, does not "just happen" to become delinquent or suddenly choose to act in antisocial ways. There are reasons some teenagers turn to delinquency and others do not. And since teenagers grow and live in a world that is impacted by sin, we need to look at both the social as well as the personal causes of delinquency.
 The Bible says 'the sins of the fathers
are visited to the second and third
generations,' and this is clearly true.
Like Father, Like Son
One of the most common predictors of teenage delinquency is having a relative who is consistently engaged in antisocial behavior.
The Bible says "the sins of the fathers are visited to the second and third generations," and this is clearly true. Children whose parents and significant relatives or adult friends of the family model antisocial behavior are much more likely to develop conduct disorders than those with law-abiding relatives.
A good example of this is Josh. Josh is a teenager who has abused a variety of different drugs including marijuana, alcohol, and LSD. He has been expelled from school and in trouble with the police, not only for using these drugs but for trying to sell them to his friends. Where did Josh first learn about using drugs and selling them? He learned from his father who had used drugs in front of him since Josh was a few years old. Worse yet, just as his father is in denial, Josh himself denies that he has any problem with drugs.
Everybody's Doing It
Associating with teenagers who exhibit delinquent behavior is the next major risk factor. A high percentage of children with conduct disorders act out their delinquent behaviors with their peers. The pressure to rebel in order to be accepted by one's peers can be incredibly strong. In fact, this is one of the core dynamics of delinquent gang membership. Teenagers looking for a place to belong will do almost anything to be accepted. Some gang initiation rites even require a potential new member to commit a crime in order to join the gang!
Physical Factors
Physiological factors are another major contributor to conduct disorders. Neuropsychological factors (brain structure and function) have been shown to be related to some types of delinquent and antisocial behavioral patterns. Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), for example, are more likely to develop conduct disorders. These children often have difficulty concentrating and paying attention, and tend to be impulsive. Such traits often undercut academic performance and cause children to behave disruptively at school and at home, thus leaving them frustrated and feeling bad about themselves.
As they develop into teenagers, these same individuals often struggle increasingly with impulsivity which makes it all the more likely that they may engage in risky, foolish, or illegal activities. The end result is an increasingly low self-image and a revolving cycle of bad behavior.
Other Psychological Problems
An additional risk factor for delinquency is the presence of other mental disorders in the child. Children with depression, for example, are more likely to engage in conduct disordered behavior. This makes sense since sad, depressed teenagers will be looking for something to bring excitement into their lives. Antisocial actions can bring a temporary feeling of excitement or a thrill from "beating the system" or "outsmarting" people in authority. In addition, we know that boys in particular are not encouraged in today's world to express feelings of sadness. They are often ridiculed and made fun of if they cry. This sometimes drives boys into "burying" their sadness, ultimately letting it surface as anger. Researchers agree that teenagers with depression that comes out as anger can often lead to CD behavior.
Antisocial actions can bring a
temporary feeling of excitement or a
thrill from 'beating the system' or
'outsmarting' people in authority.
Children with severe mental disorders that distort reality like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or paranoia, are also more likely to engage in delinquent acts.
Hidden Causes
These first five causes of delinquency are relatively obvious. We all know that children imitate their parents and that peers can have negative influences on each other. We know that spiritual commitment is a great enhancer of healthy living and that its absence leaves a serious void. We know that some children are born physiologically different. And it is relatively obvious that teenagers with other emotional problems may turn to delinquent behavior as well.
Surprisingly however, quite a number of youth with conduct disorders show few, if any, of these first five risk factors. Why? Because there are two other emotional factors that lie at the very core of the personalities of nearly all people who consistently engage in antisocial behavior. These are the capacity to care for others and the ability to experience healthy guilt.
The Capacity to Care
The deepest human emotion and the one that will most likely ward off potential delinquency if it is fully developed is empathy. Empathy is simply the ability to understand and experience the feelings of another person. It is the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. Empathy has two components: a cognitive component (understanding what another feels) and an emotional component (experiencing what another feels). For example, John sees Anna crying and distraught after her husband left her. In order to have empathy for Anna, John would first need to understand intellectually that Anna is sad and distraught, and then he would need to experience sadness along with Anna. In real life, these usually happen at the same time.
When we care for people and suffer when they suffer, we won't want to cause them pain. But when caring is lacking, people can be vulnerable to everything from inaction to actual destructive behavior. Teenagers in particular who don't feel for other people can become prone to delinquent actions. Since they don't love or feel for others they may think, Why not rebel, steal, hurt or violate their rights?
When we care for people and
suffer when they suffer, we won't
want to cause them pain.
Because Jesus Christ epitomized love and compassion, He did not rebel, steal or hurt others. In fact, the word most often used to discuss Jesus' emotional life was compassion! To the core of His being, He was caring. Jesus cared so much that He was willing to leave Heaven and take on human form and suffer humiliation and death so that He could reddem us. In so doing, He also identified completely with us. Since He knew suffering first hand, He doesn't want to cause anyone unnecessary pain.
 Continued on Page Three
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