Criminal social identity of juvenile delinquents

Abstract

In addition to the unique personal identity that each person possesses, there are also social aspects of the self that criminals share with each other and in which part of their identity and how they think about themselves is determined by the collective identity, which is what is termed the criminal social self In line with social identity theory, criminals' perceptions and attitudes toward members of a criminal group ultimately evolve from their need to identify with and belong to a relatively superior group to obtain certain privileges, including their need for self-esteem. Therefore, criminals realize that other members of the criminal group are similar to them and show a preference for their attitudes, attitudes, beliefs, opinions and behavior Adolescence brings with it new challenges and opportunities for the evolutionary transformations of the self in cognitive abilities and self-representation that occur during this stage and promote a more differentiated and complex view of the self

The current research aimed to identify the criminal social identity of juvenile delinquents according to a set of demographic variables. and relationships within the group) and then applying the scale in its final form to a sample of (400) juveniles who are enrolled in juvenile reform schools affiliated to the Ministry of Justice. After using the appropriate statistical means, the research reached a set of results, the most important of which is that the research sample enjoys a criminal social identity