PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL PATHOLOGY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE ETIOLOGY OF NARCOTIC ADDICTION - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

In this study, we examined whether differential perceptions of poor ur ban neighborhoods may contribute to narcotic addiction in individuals who grow up in these neighborhoods, Three groups of adult males provid ed retrospective perceptions of the neighborhoods where they lived at ages 12 to 14. The groups, matched on neighborhood age, and race, were : narcotic addicts, peer controls-a never-addicted control sample of a ge-11 associates of the addicts, and community controls-a never-addict ed control sample of age-11 peers who did not associate with the addic ts. Results suggested clear group differences in perceptions of neighb orhood deviance, with addicts perceiving the greatest and community co ntrols the least amount of deviance. However, within groups, subjects who lived in more socially deviant areas, as determined by official re cords, tended to view their neighborhoods as more deviant than did sub jects who lived in less deviant neighborhoods.