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EXTROVERSION-INTROVERSION TRAITS AS DETERMINANTS OF JUVINILE DELIQENCY

By C.A. Daramola Abstract This study investigated the extent, which a measure of Extroversionintroversion is related to juvenile delinquency. The design of the study was influenced largely by a desire to penetrate deeper into the personality dimensions of delinquents than most conventional studies in juvenile delinquency. The following hypotheses were tested: (i) there is no significant differences delinquents on the introversion scale. (ii) there no significant difference between female and male delinquents on the extroversion scale. (iii) there is no significant difference between delinquents in elementary schools and those in secondary schools on the extroversion scale. In all, 82 delinquents and 87 non-delinquents from juvenile welfare remand home, Ibadan and approved schools, Iwo were used. The extend of extroversion scale of Eysenck personality inventory (EPI), 1968. analysis of result statistic and the level of probability adopted was 0.o5. while hypothesis (ii) was confirmed; hypothesis (i) and (iii) were rejected. The results raise the possibility that a significant degree of extroversion may be considered a function of delinquency. Introduction Many criminological studies have related involvement in juvenile delinquency to a variety of factors, including school and home factors. Little between juvenile delinquents and non-

attention has been paid to this aspect of personality differences. Certainly, understanding the personality traits of juvenile delinquents would enable us to easily predict and identify youthful criminals. This will save a lot of money and time that would be expended on arresting such a problem. The specific question the present study sets to answer is whether any specific personality traits have been observed more frequently among youths who were, or who have become delinquent, This question becomes necessary in an attempt to understand what developmental process account for the personality traits that correlated with delinquency Then, the government can be better organised and equipped to tackle the problem of indiscipline a maladjustment in the country, if the government knows the factor in the different individual that create a crime tendency in the nation. A study of the enrolments in most Remand Homes in Nigeria shows that there are more boys than girls. The question then is: Are girls less criminally oriented, or are they more law abiding than the boys? Apart from the officially registered delinquents, there are many unregistered delinquents scattered here and there in different parts of the country. If some care is not taken, our Remand Homes will soon be flooded with delinquents. One aspect of the care to be taken in this regard is to identify the underlying personality traits that are associated with the development of juvenile 'delinquency and nip the problem of delinquency in the bud by manipulating such traits, to ensure social and personal. adjustment of our youths. This study is therefore concerned was a comparative study of some personality traits as determinants of juvenile delinquency. Literature Review Extroversion - Introversion traits are personality dimension identified by Jung (1923) as ways of reacting to outer and inner, experiences. Jung in his classification of individuals came up with two personality types. Extroverts and Introverts. According, to him, each person' is both introvert and extrovert with one part being more prominent than the other. From various available definitions, it is obvious that juvenile delinquency traits do not fall into one simple homogenous category. Lawyers believe that juvenile delinquents form a well-defined group, psychologist sees it as one of the many aspects of that elusive concept known as

social maladjustment. The following definitions bring out clearly a confusion which runs right through the problem of knowing exactly who juvenile delinquents are. According to Rubin (1949), "Juvenile delinquency is what the law says it is". This is in agreement', with Power and Witner (1951) who saw juvenile delinquents as those belonging to a particular age group who have been known to the satisfaction of a court of law to have committed certain acts. A reference to biological innate disposition offered by Lambrose (1918), makes his definition interesting. According to him, delinquents are "moral idiots" who differed from normal men in basic and born physical characteristics. Yet, in spite of all these disagreements, the question of who is and who is not a delinquent is fundamental to research in this field. Many psychologists have been concerned with defining the particular personality traits which lead people to become delinquents. Schuessler and Cressey (1950) reviewed 113 investigations and concluded that delinquency and specific personality traits were not related. Quay (164) found that there are particular types of delinquents who differ from each other and have distinctive personality characteristics. In a related study, Allopson and Feldman (1974) found that anti-social behaviour was positively related to extroversion, neuroticism and psychotism and that school naughtiness was positively related to extroversion and psychoticism. A similar study was conducted by Siegman (1963) with male and female students. He found a positive correlation between extroversion and anti-social behaviour in males but not in the female groups. On education, Patnack (1963) in his study with 60 delinquent boys found that most of them were either uneducated or with little education. Research Questions Arising from the review of literature and background to the study, the following questions are raised: (i) Are delinquents likely to score higher on the extroversion scale non-delinquents? (ii) Would there be difference in the scores of male and female delinquents on the extroversion scale? (iii) would there be difference in the scores of delinquents in elementary schools .and those in secondary schools on extroversion than

scale? Hypotheses Tested In order to identify the variables and provide information as to the possible solutions to the problems highlighted above, the following hypotheses were tested. (i) There is no significant difference between juvenile delinquents and nondelinquents on the extroversion scale. (ii) There is no significant difference between male and female delinquents on the extroversion scale. (iii) There is no significant difference between delinquents in elementary schools and those in secondary schools on the extroversion scale. Methodology Sample A total of 169 subjects consisting of 82 delinquents and 87 nondelinquents made up the sample for this 'study. 34 delinquent subjects were from Juvenile Welfare Remand Home Ibadan, and 48 subjects from. Approved School, Iwo, Oyo State. Altogether, the 82 delinquents comprised 70 males and 12 females. The 87 non-delinquent subjects were selected by simple random sampling from Abadina Grammar School in Ibadan. Instrument Instrument used consists of only one section which is the extroversion scale of Eysenck Personal Inventory (EPI). The test which was developed by Eysenck (1963) consists of ,24 statements related to Extroverted habit to which the response is either "Yes" or "No". These, habits are supposed to differentiate the extroverts from the introverts. For this study, operationally an extrovert is an individual, with a score of twelve (12) and above on the scale. Each subject could score between 0,) and 24. Vaboza (1974) has, the scale's reliability and validity for Nigeria students. She obtained a test re-test reliability. of 0.94 (N = 51, P. 0.05). Method of Data Analysis The scores of the following groups on the Extroversion Scales were compared:

(i) Delinquents and Non-delinquent (ii) Male delinquents and female delinquents (iii) Delinquents in Elementary Schools These comparisons were executed by means of t-test statistics at the 0.5 level of significance in each group of subjects, the number of subjects was taken and the mean and variance of the scores on EPI were computed. The values obtained are as shown below:

Table 1 The Extent of Extroversion of Each Group (N = 169) Group Mean Subjects X Delinquents 2.73 Non-delinquents 19.29 Male delinquents 70 Female delinquents 12 13.66 Result Hypothesis (i) was rejected because there was a statistically significant difference between the two means (t=5.62 P.D5) Table 2 Comparison of Delinquent and Non-Delinquent Subject on EPI (Extroversion Scale) (N=169) Delinquents Nl Xl Sl Non-Delinquents N2 X2 S2 t 880 164 17.81 15.7 12.57 87 983 4.95 82 1044 16.78 1 on EPI S 2 No. of Scores Variance

82 0.5

12.73 16. 78

87

11. 29

4. 95

5.62

Hypothesis (ii) was confirmed. There was no significant difference between the mean scores.

Table 3 Comparison of Female and Male Subjects on EPI (N=82) Females Males 2 N1 P 12 (ns) Hypothesis (iii) was rejected because there was a significant differences between the two means Scores: 13.66 15.7 70 12.57 17.81 0.70 X1 S1 N2 X2 S2 2 t

Table 4 Comparison of Delinquents in Elementary and Secondary Schools on Extroversion Scale (N = 82) Elementary Secondary

N1 58

X1 13.79

S1 12.56

N2 24

X2 10.16

S2 16.19

3.86 . 05

Implications of the Study The problem of juvenile delinquency in our society calls for, an immediate rehabilitation of our youthful offenders and an offer of assistance such that their sufferings, misery and life wastage would be permanently removed. The study further shows what in dealing with youngsters it is wise to be on guard against certain kinds of overt behaviour that may indicate possible future difficulty. Such behaviour may be symptomatic of pre delinquency in a given case. With the findings from this study, it should be easy to predict and to identify our youthful offenders. The government can be better organised and equipped to tackle the problem of increased wave of crime in the country if the government knows the factors in the different individuals that create a crime tendency in the nation's youths. The results from this study have highlighted the need for a 'better understanding of the personality structure of our juvenile delinquents. Since studies of delinquency have implications for the rehabilitation of offenders and the prevention of delinquency in the society, a multi-faceted team approach involving the home school, Guidance Counsellors, and community agencies is vital in transform overt aggression as a positive effort for communication and self I assertion into a positive stimulus control and reformation. Conclusions From the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn: (i) Delinquents exhibit higher level of extroversion traits than nondelinquents. (ii) Both male and female delinquents exhibits the same level of

extroversion. (iii) Delinquents in elementary schools exhibit higher level of extroversion traits than those in secondary schools. Discussions on the Findings (i) Delinquents were found to exhibit a higher level of extroversion traits than non-delinquents. This result is congruent with other findings. For example, Siegman (1963) found a positive correlation between extroversion and antisocial behaviours in his study of boys in approved school. Eysenck (1969) also found criminals to be on the whole both extroverted and neurotic. It is not actually surprising that delinquents &exhibit a higher level of extroversion traits than non-delinquents. One possible explanation for this is that delinquents are generally children whose code of behaviours is based purely on pleasure and pain principle which normally leads to immediate expression of instinctive urges. Hence, it becomes easier for children with personality disposition such as extroversion to engage in various forms of anti-social behaviour because their types of solution to a problem would always bring them into conflict with parents, teachers, police and others who have more conventional solutions in mind. another explanation offered by Eysenck (1953) could also be significant. According to him, "introverts learn more readily and so come to absorb the rules of society than extroverts who are only poorly socialised and are pre-disposed towards action rather then thought" (ii) There was no sex difference in extroversion traits of juvenile delinquents. This finding was in agreement with that of Thompson and Lazes (1976) that "the female delinquency was highly similar to the male pattern of delinquency". However, there were some contradictory results. For example, Siegman (1963) found a positive' correlation between extroversion and anti-social behaviour in male but not in the female group. In another study Cutman (1966) found that male delinquents showed higher mean extroversion scores than 19 female ones.

One possible explanation for this might be that interaction with boys dispose girls to greater extroversion. This is because in a Remand Home, girls experience a great deal of social interact on with members of the other sex and might be easily influenced by them. Furthermore, there is the fact that girls are in a minority among a majority in whom extroversion is characteristically very strong and it may be that it is the majority group pressure rather than difference which is decisive. It could therefore be assumed that it is the presence of more boys in Remand Schools that increases the extroversion traits of girls. (iii) Delinquents in Elementary Schools exhibit higher level of extroversion traits than those in secondary schools. This finding supports West and Farrinton (1973) who found a significant relationship between low intelligence and delinquency. According to them the lower achiever is forced by society to adopt the role of a social failure. One possible explanation for the findings is that at such tender age children always aim at pleasure and the avoidance of pain. Their whole behaviour at this period is the immediate and direct expression of instructive urges. They have the tendency to blindly follow their physiological needs which gives rise to a state of tension, a feeling of discomfort. On the otherhand the adolescent is more able to internalise both anxiety reaction and the defensive measures taken to curb these reactions. References Allport, G.M. (1937). personality: A psychological interpretation. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Allport, G.M. (1965). Pattern and growth in personality New York: Holt International. Ball, J. C. (1962). Social deviancy and Adolescent personality Lexington: Univ. of Kentucky press. Brown, S.R. & Hendrick, G. (1971). Introversion Extro-version and social perception. British Journal of Soc. Clin. Psyco(10,313-319.) Buer, X. ( 1944). The young Delinquent. London: Univ. of London press. Carrigan, P.M. Extraversion - Introversion as a Dimension of personality, a

Re-appraisal. Psychological Bulletin, 57, ( 1 ) 329 - 360 . Cold, J.A. (1974). Behavioural change and personality variables in delinquency. New Zealand psychologist. Vol. 3 (2), 56-6l. Daramola, C.A. (1984). Comparative study of Some personality Determinants of Juvenile Delinquency.. An unpublished M.Ed Thesis Univ. of Ibadan. Eysenck, H.J. (1963). On the Dual Nature of Extroversion. British Journal on Soc. and Clin. psych. vol.2,(1),44-46. . Sysanck, H.J. (1970). Reading in Extroversion and Introversion. London: staple Press, Vol. 1-3. I Gutman, G.M. (1966). Age and Sex Differences in Extroversion and Neuroticism in a Canadian Sample, in British journal of soc. Clin .psycho, 128-129. Hinkelman, E.A. (1953). Comparative Investigation of Differences in Personality Adjustment of Delinquents. Journal and Education and Research (46), 595 60l. Jung, C. G. (192 3). Psychological types. London: Routledge Kegan and Paul. Lombroso, C. (1918). Crime, its causes and remedies, Boston: Little First published in French. Power, E. & Witner, H. (1951). An Expt in the Prevention of Delinquency, New York: The Cambridge Somerville Youth Study. Quay, H.C. (1964). Dimensions of personality in delinquent boys as interred from the factor analysis of case history data. Child Developement:.35(2),479-484. Ray, A.B. (1963). Differentiating delinquents from Non-Delinquents on some aspects of interest. Journal Guidance, 9 (5) 131 - 133. Schussler, K. F. & Cressy, D. R. (195). Personality Characteristic of Criminals. American Journal of Sociology, (55), 476-484. Siegman, A.W. (1963). A Cross-Cultural Investigation of the relationship between Introversion - Extroversion, Social Attitude and antiof vocational and Educational

social Behaviour. British Journal and Clinical psychologists. Vol.2, (3),196-207. Thompson, R.J. & Lozes, J. (1976). Female Gang Delinquency. Corrective and Soc. Psycho. and Journal of Beh. Tech. Method and Therapy. Vol. 22, (3), 1- 5. Vabaza, K.T. (1974). The relationship between some personality factors and academic performance among some Nigerian Secondary School Students. An UnpublishedM.Ed. Thesis University of Ibadan. West, D. J. & Farrinton, D. P. (1973). Who Become Delinquents? London: Heinemann.

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