A study of self-esteem, neuroticism, and extroversion of delinquent boys in custody and awaiting-trial boys in Khartoum Province in the Sudan.

Abstract

This is an investigation to explore an area which has not received much attention in The Sudan. The main investigation was concerned with group differences in Three personality variables; self-esteem, neuroticism and extraversion. The aim was to test the applicability of Reckless's explanation of delinquency and Eysenck's explanation of delinquency in The Sudan. The investigation includes three groups of boys; delinquent boys in custody, awaiting-trial boys and a control group of student boys. The major hypotheses of the Study were as follows; 1. Delinquent behaviour is related to low self-esteem. 2. Delinquent boys are higher in neuroticism and higher in extraversion than non-delinquent boys. The minor hypotheses of the Study were as follows; 1. Neuroticism is inversely related to self-esteem. 2. Extraversion is inversely related to self-esteem, 3. Physiological indicators of neurosis are inversely related to self-esteem. 4. Delinquent boys in custody and awaiting-trial boys who are from relatively stable families possess higher levels of self-esteem than those who are from relatively unstable families. The findings of the Study can be summarized as follows: Concerning the two major hypotheses; 1. The awaiting-trial boys were found possessing lower self-esteem than both the delinquent boys in custody and the student boys and also the delinquent boys in custody were found possessing lower self-esteem than the student boys. The results of both the awaiting-trial boys and the delinquent boys in custody, being lower in self-esteem than the students, supported the first major hypothesis of this study. 2. The delinquent boys in custody and the awaiting-trial boys were both found lower in neuroticism and lower in extraversion than the student boys which did not support the second hypothesis. Concerning the minor hypotheses: 1. Results of the three groups involved in the Study have supported the first minor hypothesis. The results have shown that the relationship between self-esteem, as measured by both Coopersmith's self-esteem inventory and Rosenberg's self-esteem scale, and neuroticism, as measured by N-Scale of the E.P.Q. (Junior), is found to be an inverse relation as predicted. 2. Concerning the second minor hypothesis, which predicted that extraversion is inversely related to self-esteem, the results of the three groups involved in the Study have not supported it. First for students the relationship between self-esteem as measured by Coopersmith's self-esteem inventory and extraversion was found positive, but when self-esteem is measured by Rosenberg's self-esteem scale there was no relationship between self-esteem and extraversion. Second, for both the awaiting-trial boys and the delinquent boys in custody the relationship between self-esteem, as measured by both Coopersmith's and Rosenberg's measures, and extraversion is positive. These results have not supported the second minor hypothesis. 3. The third minor hypothesis, which predicted that physiological indicators of neurosis are inversely related to self-esteem, was not supported for both the awaiting-trial boys and the delinquent boys in custody. The results of the awaiting-trial boys show that the difference between one or less and five or more physiological indicators of neurosis with respect to high self-esteem and low self-esteem is not statistically significant. Results of the delinquent boys in custody show that low self-esteem is related to low number of physiological indicators of neurosis. 4. For both groups, the delinquent boys in custody and the awaiting- trial boys, the fourth minor hypothesis was not supported. The results show that the difference between stable families and unstable families with respect to low and high self-esteem level does not differ statistically significant. At the end of this investigation it was suggested that there should be a follow-up of the delinquent boys in custody and the awaiting-trial boys, that is urgently needed especially after the new changes in the penal system of delinquents in The Sudan and also the changing of the reformatory institutes into model schools. Also at the end of this investigation some other major and minor recommendations, concerning these new model schools for delinquents, have been suggested. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Date of Award	1984
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath