The juveniles socially maladjusted boys` predominant beliefs about

Justyna Siemionow*
University of Gdańsk
The juveniles socially maladjusted boys’
predominant beliefs about themselves
and the world- the outline of the concept
of research
Abstract
A clear tendency has been observed for many years now indicating a permanently high
level of violent crime involving minors and juveniles. The lowering of the legal age of
criminal liability has not improved the situation but has, in turn, created another problem: namely that of how minors, who potentially have a greater chance of returning to
society than adult criminals, should be treated and rehabilitated effectively. The article
draws attention to the need to change the direction of searching of effectiveness methods
of working with underage criminals. According G. Walters (1990) the thinking style of
minors should be analyzed and changed step by step. Any change in behaviour is strictly
connected with a cognitive change. Socially maladjusted juveniles present dysfunctional
thinking patterns about themselves, the world and other people with whom they engage
in social interaction. The criminal thinking style must be rebuild into more adaptive one.1
QQ
Introduction
Juvenile delinquency is a very complex phenomenon, not only given its
dynamics and structure, but mainly due to the factors which predispose towards criminal behaviour. Despite a substantial accumulation of knowledge
on the functioning of an individual in his environment and his development
*
Correspondence address: Justyna Siemionow, 82-200 Malbork, ul. Sienkiewicza 37 b/8,
tel. 603 691 265.
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Justyna Siemionow
with regard to aggravating and mitigating factors, an effective juvenile rehabilitation model in the field of Polish rehabilitation pedagogy has not as yet
been developed(Kowalczyk-Jamnicka,2006). Greater individualism in corrective work and a more open attitude towards a socially derailed individual
have proven to be, as it emerges, insufficient. The project discussed points
to a very important aspect of the functioning of a criminal individual, their
thinking and the factors on which the thinking depends. Moreover, an identification of the key elements of a juvenile criminal’s cognitive system allows
for their modification and appropriate planning of the rehabilitation work,
which, combined with behavioral methods employed in corrective institutions. It creates greater potential for the desired change in the functioning of
the juveniles and, such as, contribute to the appropriate fulfilment of the social roles assigned to them after their return to their own environment and
society (Urban, 2012).
As is known, only a small percentage of the juveniles’ family environments
undergo a positive change, it is rather the juveniles themselves who, having
undergone the various degrees of the rehabilitation process, can introduce
changes in their behaviour. Therefore, a cognitive change or a correction in
the way of thinking will, as a permanent change, increase the chance for behaviour in line with accepted norms and social rules, with the juvenile, having
returned to their own environment, interpreting the information they receive
in a different manner and being able to select accordingly, and not so defensively, with their level of understanding certainly improved. Any change in
behaviour must be preceded by a cognitive change (Urban, 2000).
QQ
The corrective institution for minors: general
information
Pupils are sent to the Centre by Court, they are between 12 and 18, they
have emotional obstacles because of their past traumatic experiences. Quite
a common factor linked to their childhood is alcohol and crime, so they usually were not attending school and were not under parental control. Their
parents aren’t able to respond to their needs.
The plan for the upcoming new phrase in pupils’ life must be tailored to
individual needs – that’s the main task for the teachers. Most youngsters need
to learn many skills to build their new living environment (inside the institution), to maintain themselves and develop themselves further. These skills
refer to all practical, cognitive, social and emotional tasks – organised as
The juveniles socially maladjusted boys’ predominant beliefs about themselves…
97
individual social rehabilitation plan (Opora, 2009). The construction of this
plan depends on the child’s needs and abilities.
The basic principle in social rehabilitation process is accepting the uniqueness of each family, it is usually a serious problem. These troubled families often
have a history of several crises. Even though families express their willingness
for cooperation, they may not want to change their longstanding habits, behaviours and ways of life (Ostrowska, 2008). The institution helps the pupils
rebuild their family ties. The wards regularly visit their family homes during
holiday time, according to the school calendar (each visit requires the court’s
permission). Therefore, to a certain degree, the juveniles’ functioning and desired change can be verified in an open environment, throughout a 2–3–week
period in the case of winter or spring holidays and a nearly 2–month period
during the summer.
What is very important for the project in question is the fact that for several
years the period in which minors wait to be placed in a corrective institution,
such as MOW (Młodzieżowy Ośrodek Wychowawczy – Juvenile Education Centre) has been reduced, which has consequently shortened the time in which
the rehabilitation process and the work with a particular minor can proceed.
At present, a minor is sent to an institution after 2–3 months, after the court
issues its decision to place such an individual in a MOW. In the past, however,
this period could have been as long as three years. The average length of time
a minor spends in an institution is 18–20 months (2 school years). This seems
sufficient to effectuate changes in the young person’s way of thinking, but it is
necessary to work out a specific action model, as well as forms and methods
of work.
QQ
The main thesis of this concept reads as follows
1. The criminal behavior of socially maladjusted juveniles is inevitably
connected with thinking styles, which in turn stems from their knowledge of
themselves, of others and of the environment in which they live.
2. Any correction/change of their behavior is possible only after the criminal style of thinking has been modified towards adaptive cognitive schemata,
with the application of appropriately selected methods and forms of rehabilitation, tailored to individual deficits and resources.
These assumptions should get guidelines for working with socially maladjusted pupils. The juveniles present certain (dysfunctional) thinking patterns
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Justyna Siemionow
about themselves, the world and other people with whom they engage in social interaction. The criminal thinking style remains in indirect relationship
with the negative or unhealthy behavior undertaken by a particular individual.
The primary aim of the project under discussion is therefore to specify
and indicate factors typical for the thinking of socially maladjusted juveniles
as well as to conduct research into the relationship in which the factors selected remain connected, thereby creating a certain style of criminal thinking,
as well as to name the style of thinking which predisposes an individual to
commit a crime.
G. Walters (1990) distinguished eight specific styles of thinking, which
characterise persons undertaking criminal actions. These are:
QQ mollification – minimizing of own responsibility
QQ cutoff – distance from responsibility
QQ entitlement
QQ power orientation – orientation towards own power
QQ sentimentality – emotional infantilism
QQ superoptimism
QQ cognitive indolence – passiveness, cognitive resourcelessness
QQ discontinuity (Rode, Rode, 2010).
The need for the project to be developed, especially in the context of
the meagre achievements of Polish social sciences in this thematic field, can
be considered in the following manner:
Firstly, the implementation of this project seems indispensable for the potential of rehabilitation institutions such as MOW (open institutions) to be
used to its full capacity. Currently, such institutions, under the care of the Polish Ministry of Education, seem to have fallen into the effectiveness trap i.e.
they are urgently seeking effective methods and forms of rehabilitation which
will make them stand out from the other institutions of this kind, of which
there are over 80 in the whole of Poland (the weight of the problem therefore being quite substantial, given the scale of the phenomenon). At the same
time, they are dealing with the economics of this problem, counting the costs
of each juvenile’s upkeep and the expenses which have to be incurred to obtain
the desired effect. It is also important to standardise the notion of effect and effectiveness in the rehabilitation process, as it should certainly not be measured
solely by whether a juvenile, having left an institution, returns to crime or not.
Secondly: an analysis of the patterns, styles and elements of criminal
thinking will allow for the factors which shape this kind of thinking to be indicated, thus revealing the way in which socially maladjusted minors perceive
The juveniles socially maladjusted boys’ predominant beliefs about themselves…
99
themselves, the reality around them and the people with whom they interact
in a variety of ways (Walters, 1990). This will, in turn, form a significant pool
of information vital for planning rehabilitation work, whether with an individual, subjective or collective approach in mind.
Thirdly: The ongoing change in Polish society connected with the processes of globalisation and the growing level of privatisation of public space
and the greater economic, cultural and educational challenges for particular
individuals who would rather opt to remain in a certain (priviledged) area,
has resulted in a growing number of ‘excluded’ individuals, focused around
a shortage of work, means of support or a lack of education. A group of socially maladjusted minors constitutes a high-risk community which may
become (for the reasons already mentioned) banished to the fringes of society to form an enclave, destructive both to themselves and other social groups.
For this reason, equipping maladjusted individuals with certain skills, developed through adaptive and creative thinking, gives them a chance to return
to society successfully, fulfil the social roles assigned to them, and to function
without violating law and order (Urban, Stanik, 2007).
QQ
The criminal thinking style: diagnosis and therapy.
The current trends in research concerning the etiology of crime clearly
indicate that the traditional one-dimensional static model which determines
single isolated variables based on cause and effect is becoming a thing of
the past. The majority of current research is conducted in the dynamic model
style, of which G. Walters notion provides an example. The notion stipulates
that criminality is a result of an interaction between three groups of variables:
conditions, choice and the cognitive system. An individual’s cognitive system
i. e. criminal thinking has been shaped in such a way that it reinforces and
justifies irresponsible behavior and violation of law and order, and this cognitive system (this type of thinking) serves defensive functions for the ‘ego’.
G.Walters conducted research into the thinking styles of adult and juvenile
criminals serving sentences in different US prisons and developed the Criminal Thinking Scales, which helps in establishing a particular criminal’s
thinking profile and in carrying out a specific rehabilitation prognosis (Walters,1995).It should be noted that it was S. Samenow and S. Yochelson who
were in the vanguard of research into the cognitive schemata which determine criminal behavior, since it was they who traced the roots of criminality
100 Justyna Siemionow
to an individual’s thinking style and the way in which he or she reaches decisions (Yochelson, Samenow, 1976).
As it was pointed earlier, present research tendencies devoted to the etiology of criminality are moving away from traditional one-dimensional static
model determining isolated variables acting on the basis of cause – effect. It
is noticeable that contemporary studies are conducted in a dynamic model
convention (Rode, Rode, 210, p.356). G. Walter’s conception is an example
of theoretical research model of etiology of criminality which accepts the dialectical –synergetic approach to its explaining. The author postulates that
criminality is a consequence of the influence of three groups of variables: conditions, selection and cognitive system. The first of two groups, co-influencing
each other, from the third group, namely the human cognitive system(Walters,
1990).
A particular style of criminal thinking develops as a result of the interaction between these two groups of variables in order to support and uphold
a decision concerning the commission of a crime. The cognitive system of
a maladjusted individual has been formed in such a way (as a result of destructive and aggravating experiences in early childhood, quite thoroughly
described in the expert literature as the environmental conditioning of criminality and the deprivation of basic bio-psycho social needs), that it reinforces
and condones the irresponsibility of the individual’s actions, self-justification
or the intrusion of interpersonal behaviours (Walters, 2005).
The research described will indicate a very important aspect of a criminal
individual’s functioning, his or her thinking and the factors which influence
it. Additionally, the identification of key elements in the juvenile criminal’s
cognitive system will allow for their modification and an appropriate planning of the rehabilitation procedures, which, when combined with behavioral
methods applied in rehabilitation institutions, will create a better chance for
the desired change in the functioning of juveniles. This will then contribute
towards better fulfilment of social roles when they return to their environment and society. It is an established fact that only a small percentage of
the juveniles’ family environment undergoes a positive change, it is rather
the juveniles themselves who, having experienced various degrees of rehabilitation, are responsible for the change in their own behavior. The model of
rehabilitiation presupposes the inclusion of the juvenile’s family environment
in the process, thus resulting in a number of changes reinforcing the effects of
the juvenile’s rehabilitation process. Practical experience, however, coupled
with a lack of any coherent system of help for socially maladjusted children,
The juveniles socially maladjusted boys’ predominant beliefs about themselves…
101
shows that the changes in a juvenile’s family environment to which he or she
returns are, in fact, minimal.
All the more, a cognitive change and an adjustment in the way of thinking,
as a permanent change, will, after a juvenile’s return, increase the chance of
a behavior which conforms to accepted norms and rules of social functioning;
a juvenile individual will be able to interpret the information he or she receives
in a different manner, to select it appropriately and will not react to it in such
a defensive way, with their level of understanding significantly improved. Any
change in behavior must be preceded by a cognitive change (Walters, 1990).
QQ
The significant of new trends in social rehabilitation
Social sciences stand out among other scientific disciplines, especially exact sciences, by the fact that the source of research problems does not often lie
in the fact that insufficient knowledge exists on a given subject but rather that
this knowledge needs to be organized and verified. In my opinion, this is also
relevant to the present, if the quantity of available knowledge and achievement in a given research area is to be adjusted to the dynamically changing
social reality in which the individual functions, as well as to the individual
himself, as he is also subject to change.
Without doubt, it is important not to shut oneself off completely from
existing notions and analyses of human behavior, adaptive and disturbed to
many degrees alike. The project under discussion tackles a very important
social problem concerning the phenomenon of juvenile social maladjustment.
At this point, one may ask the question: on the basis of what indicators can we
decide whether a particular issue is an important social problem? The methodology of pedagogical research clearly indicates such criteria and the project
discussed meets these.
QQ
Conclusions
The need for the implementation of the actions such as described above,
may also be justified by the fact that it provides a chance for the current degree
of knowledge and experience in the field of juvenile maladjustment and rehabilitation to be regulated. The significant proportion of this knowledge based
on the so-called classic rehabilitation (Czapów,Jedlewski,1971), which calls
102 Justyna Siemionow
for the revision and verification of particular views, in line with the trends dictated by the changing social and economic reality. Rehabilitation pedagogy is
expected to be useful and practical for teachers, so there is a necessity to find
more effectiveness method of working with socially maladjusted.
QQ
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