Numerous theories have been advanced to explain the behavior identified as juvenile delinquency. Some of the theories are better directed at certain types of delinquent behavior. As Siegel and Senna (1997) note, the various theories can be separated according to what is identified as the source of the forces shaping delinquent behavior, whether the individual is the source, the social structure, a social process, or a social reaction. These different theories may explain different types of behavior, and two types to be considered here are shoplifting and illegal drug use.
These behaviors can be viewed as different in origin. Shoplifting can be a compulsive behavior, though such pathological causes for shoplifting can only explain a small percentage of the incidence of this crime. Those who seek to explain such behavior in terms of individual choice and traits would find that there is some personality trait involved in the development of delinquent behavior or that the offender makes a rational choice to offend. Such a theory would be best applied to explaining gang activity and related crimes, though there is also considerable social pressure on young people in certain areas to join gangs. Still, rational choice is often defined in terms of opportunities presented to motivated offenders. There are cases in which gangs undertake shoplifting, for instance, as part of their gang rituals or behavior, but this as well is probably only a relatively small percentage of such crimes. Shoplifting also is not the sort of crime likely to be explained by genetic influences or social learning theory.
Psychological explanations might have some explanatory power, especially for those who act under a compulsion. Such explanations seem especially cogent for shoplifting given the nature of that crime and the fact that, like other delinquent behavior, it seems to be the result of some underlying psychological problem in many cases. In...