Skip to main content
Log in

The Tangled Web: Delinquency, Deception, and Parental Attachment

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Delinquent youth display weaker attachment to their parents than do other youth, but the reasons for this remain unclear. One explanation is that delinquent youth poison their relations with parents by lying to them about their friends, behavior, whereabouts, and more. Analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health reveals that lying to parents is an exceptionally strong and robust correlate of delinquent behavior, and is associated with a variety of surreptitious behaviors – late bedtimes, hanging with friends, concealing whereabouts. Lying to parents appears to have a progressively negative impact on the parent-child bond, meaning that the well-established attachment/delinquency association is not solely a parent effect. Youth who lie to their parents do not appear to do so blithely, however. Compared to other youth, they hold themselves in lower regard and are more often depressed. Although parents are often angered by and distrustful of deceitful children, their children's fabrications may say less about their regard for their parents than about the strength of other loyalties.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Warr (2005) argued that the effect of parental attachment on delinquent friends was substantially mediated by parental supervision. That causal sequence is consistent with the argument here, except that weak parental supervision is viewed as the initial step in a longer sequence and the impact of friends “feeds back” (via delinquency and lying) upon parental attachment. Over time, this sequence may form a loop that is re-initiated and reinforced through repeated acts of lying.

References

  • Akers RL (1998) Social Learning and Social Structure: A General Theory of Crime and Deviance. Northeastern University Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Agnew R (2005) Why Do Criminals Offend? A General Theory of Crime and Delinquency. Roxbury, Los Angeles

    Google Scholar 

  • Agnew R, Petersen D (1989) Leisure and delinquency. Social Problems 36:332–350

    Google Scholar 

  • Altman I, Taylor DA (1973) Social Penetration: The Development of Interpersonal Relationships. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnett Jensen L, Jensen Arnett J, Feldman SS, Cauffman E (2004) The right to do wrong: Lying to parents among adolescents and emerging adults. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 33:101–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bearman PS, Jones J, Udry JR (1997) The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health: Research Design. (http://www.cpc.unc.edu/ projects/ addhealth/design.html)

  • Blair SL, Lichter DT (1991) Measuring the division of household labor: Gender segregation of housework among American couples. Journal of Family Issues 12:91–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blau PM (1964) Exchange and Power in Social Life. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond CF Jr, Thomas BJ, Paulson RM (2004) Maintaining lies: The multiple-audience problem. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 40:29–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown BB (1990) Peer groups and peer cultures. In Feldman SS, Elliott GR (eds), At the Threshold: The Developing Adolescent, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Cairns RB, Cairns BD, Neckerman HJ, Gest SD, Gariépy J (1988) Social networks and aggressive behavior: Peer support or peer rejection? Developmental Psychology 24:815–823

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Casper LM, Bianchi SM (2002) Continuity and Change in the American Family. Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Cernkovich SA, Giordano PC (1987) Family relationships and delinquency. Criminology 25:295–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman JC (1980) Friendship and the peer group in adolescence. In Adelson J (ed), Handbook of Adolescent Psychology, Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Crouter AC, Helms-Erikson H, Updegraff K, McHale SM (1999) Conditions underlying parent's knowledge about children's daily lives in middle childhood: Between- and within-family comparisons. Child Dev 70:246–259

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crouter AC, MacDermid SM, McHale SM, Perry-Jenkins M (1990) Parental monitoring and perceptions of children's school performance and conduct in dual- and single-earner families. Developmental Psychology 26:649–657

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi M, Larson R (1984) Being Adolescent: Conflict and Growth in the Teenage Years. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • DePaulo BM, Kashy DA (1998) Everyday lies in close and casual relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74:63–79

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DePaulo BM, Kashy DA, Kirkendol SE, Wyer MM, Epstein JA (1996) Lying in everyday life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 70:979–995

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Devereux EC (1970) The role of peer-group experience in moral development. In Hill JP (ed), Minnesota Symposia on Child Development, Volume 4. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis

    Google Scholar 

  • Eder D (1991) The role of teasing in adolescent peer group culture. Sociological Studies of Child Development 4:181–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Eder D, Enke JL (1991) The structure of gossip: Opportunities and constraints on collective expression among adolescents. American Sociological Review 56:494–508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott DS, Huizinga D, Ageton SS (1985) Explaining Delinquency and Drug Use. Sage, Newbury Park, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Emerson RM (1981) Social exchange theory. In Rosenberg M, Turner R (eds), Social Psychology: Sociological Perspectives. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrington DP (1986) Age and crime. In Tonry M, Morris N (eds), Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Feldman SS, Elliott GR (1990) At the Threshold: The Developing Adolescent. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ (1999) Prospective childhood predictors of deviant peer affiliations in adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 40:581–592

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fuligni AJ, Eccles JS (1993) Perceived parent-child relationships and early adolescents' orientation toward peers. Developmental Psychology 29:622–632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gallup G (1990) The Gallup Poll Monthly 293

  • Gove WR, Crutchfield RD (1982) The family and juvenile delinquency. Sociological Quarterly 23:301–319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray LN, Tallman I (1984) A satisfaction balance model of decision making and choice behavior. Social Psychology Quarterly 47:146–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson M, Hirschi T (1990) A General Theory of Crime. Stanford University Press, Palo Alto, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartup WW (1983) Peer relations. In Mussen PH (ed), Handbook of Child Psychology, Volume IV: Socialization, Personality, and Social Development. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendrick SS (1981) Self-disclosure and marital satisfaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 40:1150–1159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirschi T (1969) Causes of Delinquency. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirschi T, Gottfredson MR (1983) Age and the explanation of crime. American Journal of Sociology 89:553–584

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Homans GC (1961) Social Behavior: Its Elementary Forms. Harcourt, Brace, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen GF, Rojek DG (1980) Delinquency: A Sociological View. D.C. Heath and Co., Lexington, Mass

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen GF (1972) Parents, peers, and delinquent action: A test of the differential association perspective. American Journal of Sociology 78:562–575

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen GF, Brownfield D (1983) Parents and drugs: Specifying the consequences of attachment. Criminology 21:543–554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones EE (1964) Ingratiation: A Social Psychological Analysis. Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Krohn M (2000) Sources of criminality: Control and deterrence theories. In Sheley JF (ed), Criminology: A Contemporary Handbook, Third Edition. Wadsworth, Belmont, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Larzelere RE, Patterson GR (1990) Parental management: Mediator of the effect of socioeconomic status on early delinquency. Criminology 28:301–323

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laub JH, Sampson RJ (1988) Unraveling families and delinquency: A reanalysis of the Gluecks’ data. Criminology 26:355–380

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee K (2000) Lying as doing deceptive things with words: A speech act theoretical perspective. In Astington JW (ed), Minds in the Making: Essays in Honor of David R. Olson. Blackwell, Malden, MA, pp. 177–196

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis M (1993) The development of deception. In Lewis M, Saarni C (eds), Lying and Deception in Everyday Life. Guilford, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Loeber R, Stouthamer-Loeber M (1986) Family factors as correlates and predictors of juvenile conduct problems and delinquency. In Tonry M, Morris N (eds), Crime and Justice: An Annual Review of Research, Volume 7. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby EE, Martin JA (1983) Socialization in the context of the family: Parent-child interaction. In Hetherington EM (ed), Handbook of Child Psychology: Volume 4. Socialization, Personality, and Social Development. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcos A, Bahr SJ, Johnson RE (1986) Test of a bonding/association theory of adolescent drug use. Social Forces 65:135–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin MW (1986) Self-Deception and Morality. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

    Google Scholar 

  • Massey JL, Krohn MD (1986) A longitudinal examination of an integrated social process model of deviant behavior. Social Forces 65:107–134

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsueda RL (1982) Testing control theory and differential association: A causal modeling approach. American Sociological Review 47:489–504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsueda RL (1988) The current state of differential association theory. Crime and Delinquency 34:277–306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsueda RL, Anderson K (1998) The dynamics of delinquent peers and delinquent behavior. Criminology 36:269–308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt T (1993) Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review 100:674–701

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Molm LD (1989) Punishment power: A balancing process in power-dependence relations. American Journal of Sociology 94:1392–1418

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muuss RE (1980) Adolescent Behavior and Society. Random House, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • National Opinion Research Center (NORC). General Social Survey: 1972–2000 Cumulative Codebook. (http://www.umich.edu/GSS)

  • Nye FI (1958) Family Relationships and Delinquent Behavior. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Osgood DW, Wilson JK, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG, Johnston LD (1996) Routine activities and individual deviant behavior. American Sociological Review 61 (August):635–655

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson GR, Dishion TJ (1985) Contributions of families and peers to delinquency. Criminology 23:63–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parks MR, Floyd K (1996) Meanings for closeness and intimacy in friendship. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 13:85–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piaget J (1932) Le Jugement Moral Chez L'Enfant. Librairie Felix Alcan, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Rankin JH, Wells LE (1990) The effect of parental attachments and direct controls on delinquency. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 27:140–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson JP, Godbey G (1997) Time for Life. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin KH, Bukowski W, Parker JG (1998) Peer interactions, relationships, and groups. In Handbook of Child Psychology, fifth edition. Volume Three: Social, Emotional, and Personality Development, edited by William Damon. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson RJ (1992) Family management and child development: Insights from social disorganization theory. In McCord J (ed), Facts, Frameworks, and Forecasts: Advances in Criminological Theory, Volume 3. Transaction, New Brunswick, NJ, pp. 63–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Saarni C, Lewis M (1993) Deceit and illusion in human affairs. In Lewis M, Saarni C (eds), Lying and Deception in Everyday Life. Guilford, New York, pp. 1–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Savin-Williams RC, Berndt TJ (1990) Friendship and peer relations. In Feldman SS, Elliott GR (eds), At the Threshold: TheDeveloping Adolescent. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Simons RL, Wu C, Conger RD, Lorenz FO (1994) Two routes to delinquency: Differences between early and late starters in the impact of parenting and deviant peers. Criminology 32:247–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stattin H, Kerr M (2000) Parental monitoring: A reinterpretation. Child Development 71:1072–1085

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steffensmeier D, Allan E (1995) Criminal behavior: Gender and age. In Sheley JF (ed), Criminology: A Contemporary Handbook. Wadsworth, Belmont, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Stouthamer-Loeber M (1986) Lying as a problem behavior in children: A review. Clinical Psychology Review 6:267–289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stouthamer-Loeber M, Loeber R (1986) Boys who lie. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology 14:551–564

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Talwar V, Lee K (2002) Development of lying to conceal a transgression: Children's control of expressive behaviour during verbal deception. International Journal of Behavioral Development 26:436–444

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Talwar V, Lee K, Bala N, Lindsay RCL (2002) Children's conceptual knowledge of lying and its relation to their actual behaviors: Implications for court competence examinations. Law and Human Behavior 26:395–415

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thornberry TP (1987) Toward an interactional theory of delinquency. Criminology 25:863–891

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thibaut JW, Kelley HH (1959) The Social Psychology of Groups. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Tversky A, Kahneman D (1981) The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. Science 211:453–458

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Udry JR (1998) The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), Waves I and II, 1994-1996: A User's Guide to the Machine-Readable Files and Documentation. Sociometrics Corp., Los Altos, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Warr M (2005) Making delinquent friends: Adult supervision and children's affiliations. Criminology 43:77–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warr M (2002) Companions in Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England

    Google Scholar 

  • Warr M (1998) Life-course transitions and desistance from crime. Criminology 36:183–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warr M (1993) Parents, peers, and delinquency. Social Forces 72:247–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells LE, Rankin JH (1988) Direct parental controls and delinquency. Criminology 26:263–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson AE, Smith MD, Ross HD (2003) The nature and effects of young children's lies. Social Development 12:21–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson JQ, Herrnstein RJ (1985) Crime and Human Nature. Simon and Schuster, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Youniss J, Smollar J (1985) Adolescent Relations with Mothers, Fathers, and Friends. University of Chicago Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Portions of this research were supported by a Faculty Research Grant from the University of Texas at Austin. I thank Mark Regnerus, Robert Crosnoe, Gary Jensen, and Rena Cornell for their comments and criticism.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark Warr.

Additional information

Mark Warr is Professor and Graduate Chair in the Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin. He has published extensively on the group nature of delinquency and the role of peer influence in delinquent events. His book Companions in Crime: The Social Aspects of Criminal Conduct (Cambridge University Press, 2002) received the 2005 Michael J. Hindelang Award from the American Society of Criminology.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Warr, M. The Tangled Web: Delinquency, Deception, and Parental Attachment. J Youth Adolescence 36, 607–622 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9148-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-006-9148-0

Keywords

Navigation