A Test of Hirschi's Social Bonding Theory: a Comparison of Male and Female Delinquency
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ANALYZING DELINQUENCY AMONG KURDISH ADOLESCENTS: A TEST OF HIRSCHI’S SOCIAL BONDING THEORY Sebahattin Ziyanak, B.A., M.S. Dissertation Prepared for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS December 2013 APPROVED: Daniel G. Rodeheaver, Major Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology James L. Williams, Co-Major Professor David A. Williamson, Committee Member Art Goven, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Mark Wardell, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Ziyanak, Sebahattin. Analyzing Delinquency among Kurdish Adolescents: A Test of Hirschi’s Social Bonding Theory. Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology), December 2013, 158 pp., 11 tables, 1 figure, references, 61 titles. This study examines the mediating effect of social bonding on delinquent behavior among Kurdish teens. Major influences to the study of self concept and delinquency based on Hirschi’s social bonding theory are reviewed. The data was collected from a sample of 100 Kurdish teens attending a Gülen affiliated school (Private Çaglayan Murat Anatolian Science High School in Şanlıurfa, Turkey) and 100 Kurdish teens attending a public (non- Gülen) school (the Public High School in Diyarbakır, Turkey). There are two dependent variables for this research project: Involvement in major delinquency and involvement in minor delinquency. The components of social bonding attachment, involvement, commitment, and belief were used as independent variables. Participants’ age ranged between 16 to 18 years. I hypothesize that the relation between the social bonding elements and delinquency should be stronger in the case of Kurdish adolescents who are more attached to conventional Turkish society. Results from binary logistic regression analyses indicate that in the absence of bonding, Kurdish teenagers tend to engage in major and minor delinquent activities. For further exploration and results, the Gülen movement was examined as an independent variable. Findings suggest a strong relationship between the Gülen movement and Kurdish adolescents’ probability of involvement in either major or minor delinquent activities. Finally, several directions for future research on Hirschi’s social bonding theory are recommended and some implications are drawn for deterring Kurdish adolescents from becoming involved in delinquent actions. Copyright 2013 by Sebahattin Ziyanak ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am sincerely indebted to the chair of my thesis committee Dr. Daniel Rodeheaver and the co-chair James Williams for their unconditional guidance, patience and assistance they provided during the entire dissertation process. This dissertation would have been impossible without their support. I am grateful to committee member Dr. David Williamson for his participation in this project. I would also like to express my special gratefulness to my friend, Dian Jordan, who has given me full support and encouragement in this project. Furthermore, I would like to thank Mehmet Bulut and Ahmet Arslan who assisted in data collection. I am also so grateful to my parents Mehmet and Nuriye for their encouragement, prayers, patience, and full support throughout the entire dissertation process. I am especially indebted to my wife, Fatma, who has accompanied me every step along this journey. Without my wife Fatma’s best Turkish coffee and Turkish tea this dissertation would have been impossible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES .................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................. 1 Purpose of the Study....................................................................................................... 3 Research Questions ........................................................................................................ 3 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................. 4 Plan of Work ................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER II. LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 6 Theoretical Origin of Social Bonding Theory .................................................................. 6 Attachment ......................................................................................................... 8 Commitment ..................................................................................................... 22 Involvement ...................................................................................................... 23 Belief in Conventional Moral Order .................................................................. 25 Sociodemographic Variables Related to Delinquency ................................... 27 Previous Social Bonding and Patterns of Juvenile Delinquency Studies in Turkey ...... 29 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 32 CHAPTER III. DATA, METHODS AND METHODOLOGY ............................................................. 33 Data Source ................................................................................................................... 33 Sample ........................................................................................................................... 33 Informed Consent ......................................................................................................... 35 Instruments ................................................................................................................... 35 Data Collection .............................................................................................................. 36 Measurement of the Variables ..................................................................................... 37 Dependent Variables: Minor and Major Delinquency ...................................... 38 Independent Variables ...................................................................................... 41 Control Variables............................................................................................... 46 iv Hypotheses ................................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER IV. FINDINGS.............................................................................................................. 49 Respondent Characteristics .......................................................................................... 49 Bivariate Correlation Coefficients ................................................................................. 56 Data Screening .............................................................................................................. 60 Multivariate Analysis..................................................................................................... 60 Binary Logistic Regression: Results for Minor Delinquency ......................................... 62 Hypotheses for Minor Delinquency Scale ..................................................................... 64 Binary Logistic Regression: Results for Major Delinquency .............................. 66 Hypotheses for Major Delinquency Scale ..................................................................... 69 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 72 CHAPTER V. DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................... 74 Discussion...................................................................................................................... 74 Attachment ....................................................................................................... 76 Involvement ...................................................................................................... 81 Commitment ..................................................................................................... 83 Belief ................................................................................................................. 84 Gülen Movement .............................................................................................. 85 Control Variables............................................................................................... 86 Theoretical Implications................................................................................................ 89 CHAPTER VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................... 91 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 91 Policy Implications ........................................................................................................ 92 Limitations..................................................................................................................... 95 Recommendations for Future Research ......................................................................