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Susceptibility to Peer Influence, Self‐Control, and Delinquency[Note 6. The Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development ...]
Author(s) -
Meldrum Ryan C.,
Miller Holly V.,
Flexon Jamie L.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-682x.2012.00434.x
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , peer influence , self control , psychology , control (management) , social psychology , developmental psychology , peer group , criminology , computer science , artificial intelligence
The significance of peers during adolescence is well established in the social science literature. However, relatively few studies have devoted attention to susceptibility to peer influence with regard to both its causes and consequences. The current study aims to add to this literature in two ways. First, it investigates the role of self‐control in the etiology of susceptibility to peer influence. Second, it examines the independent and interactive effects of these two constructs on self‐reported delinquency. Results indicate that individuals who are higher in self‐control are less likely to be susceptible to peer influence, that susceptibility is a stronger predictor of delinquency than self‐control, and that the influence of susceptibility on delinquency is moderated by one's level of self‐control. In particular, the effect of susceptibility to peer influence on delinquency is stronger for individuals with higher levels of self‐control. The implications of the findings for theory and future research are discussed.