Citation

Lumpkin KDP. Am. J. Sociol. 1932; 38(2): 232-239.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1932, University of Chicago Press)

DOI

10.1086/216033

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Among the parental conditions having significance for the delinquent behavior of 252 girls committed to the Wisconsin Industrial School, socio-economic status is one. Ninety-five per cent of the girls came from manual worker homes, and, according to the investigator's estimate, in 71.4 per cent of 220 cases socio-economic conditions were distinctly unfavorable. The family group tended to be considerably larger than families in general. About two-thirds of the homes were broken and in 42.2 per cent of these there was a step-parent or foster parent. Social defective tendencies appeared 443 times in 189 families. The most prominent among these were delinquency, alcoholism and sex irregularity. Not only were important aspects of the girl's parental background unfavorable in the large majority of instances, but the group averaged far below normal in intelligence. The modal I.Q. class was 66-75. Forty per cent of those with an I.Q. of 75 and under belonged to the unfavorable background group.