Describe why the work of Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck had such a great influence on developmental theory. Explain your view on the value of their work as it applies to problems with delinquency today

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• The foundation of developmental theory can be traced to the work of Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck.
o While at Harvard University in the 1930s, the Gluecks popularized research on the life cycle of delinquent careers.
• In a series of longitudinal research studies, they followed the careers of known delinquents to determine the social, biological, and psychological characteristics that predicted persistent offending.
• The Gluecks made extensive use of interviews and records in their elaborate comparisons of delinquents and nondelinquents.
• The Gluecks' research focused on early onset of delinquency as a harbinger of a delinquent career: The deeper the roots of childhood maladjustment, the smaller the chance of normal adult adjustment.
• They also noted the stability of offending careers: Children who are antisocial early in life are the most likely to continue their offending careers into adulthood.
• The Gluecks identified a number of personal and social factors related to persistent offending—the most important was family relations, considered in terms of quality of discipline and emotional ties with parents.
• The adolescent raised in a large, single-parent family of limited economic means and educational achievement was the most vulnerable to delinquency.
• The Gluecks did not restrict their analysis to social variables; when they measured such biological and psychological traits as body type, intelligence, and personality, they found that physical and mental factors also played a role in determining behavior.
• Children with low intelligence, a background of mental disease, and a powerful physique were the most likely to become persistent offenders.
• Student views will vary.