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Special Education

Notes (v) The delinquency is the manifestation of frustrated needs of the child which ultimately lead to
.................. .
(a) award (b) aggression (c) need (d) personality

22.5 Characteristics of Delinquents

In the above definitions of delinquency indicate the following characteristics which have been
enumerated as follows:
1. A delinquent child posses anti-social behaviour.
2. He breaks the laws and create indiscipline in school.
3. A delinquent, deviates from norms of social behaviour and creates problems in society.
4. A delinquent child is aggressive and hostile behaviour.
5. He behaves in such away that it is harmful for himself and also for other.
6. His ego is bent upon immediate pleasure without obey in the norms of social behaviour.
7. His immoral behaviour is not considered so serious that may be referred to court of law.
8. His anxiety level is generally very high.
9. It is acquired behaviour by the child and not the innate.
10. The delinquents are emotional and maladjusted.
11. The economic conditions of his family is generally poor. The parents are unable to fulfill his
needs.
12. It is unmindful of social norms and expectations.
13. Delinquency is problem for everyone.
14. Delinquency is not the abnormality in its true sense.
Taking the above point into consideration, delinquency may be considered as an ego defense for the
tension caused by frustration of one or several of the needs present in the individual. Due to their
intrinsic nature, the nation's laws cannot be applied to every individual.
No one can deny the relationship that exists between delinquency and psychological or psychiatric
factors. Some individuals in a group follow the rules and taboos while others do not. The latter do not
form a psychologically homogeneous group. But psychology can help to explain their behaviour.
Although the majority of juvenile delinquents are found among this group, not all of them are
delinquents. Again, all delinquents are not maladjusted. Delinquent behaviour can be adaptive, getting
the special circumstances in which a group finds itself, although such behaviour clashes with the
generally accepted laws of the society to which the group belongs. This observation is made from a
psychiatrically, and thereby to a certain extent from a psychological point of view.
The concept of delinquency is artificial in nature. This nature varies according to the laws in force or
the ways in which they are applied. It becomes very difficult to establish one period and another.
Research works reveal that this is a major obstacle to research and is a possible source of serious
error.

Before the age of 14, a boy is not considered capable to having sexual relations
according to English law.

22.6 Types of Delinquency
The psychologists have classified delinquency in various ways. The classification of delinquency in
five categories have been done by Had Field, have been listed below:
(1) Benign Delinquency: It includes such which may be termed as breach of discipline or law, or
crimes form legal point of view but from mental health view, they may be normal behaviour e.g.,
truancy on some beautiful rainy day or for seeing some extraordinary act in the city.

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