SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS, SUBCULTURAL DEFINITIONS, AND VIOLENT DELINQUENCY

This article examines the theoretical links between socioeconomic stat us and violent delinquency. The arguments draw on work on social struc ture and personality and learning theories of mime and delinquency. Hy potheses derived from the resulting explanation are tested using covar iance structure models and panel data fi om a national sample of males . Consistent with these arguments, the results show that violent delin quency is a. product of learning definitions favorable to violence, wh ich itself is determined directly and indirectly by association with a ggressive peers, socioeconomic status, parenting practices, and prior violent delinquency. The article concludes that explanations of violen t adolescent behavior must take into. account the joint contributions of social stratification and culture.