These factors include but are not limited to: social relationships, community conditions, the level of violence and poverty to which a child may be exposed, and racial differences. All of these factors combined play a crucial role in how children view their lives and can assist them in negative ways, turning them into delinquent behavior. There are various sociological theories that can be used to describe the different ways in which a child can become, what is known as a delinquent. Social disorganization theory is described as when a community minimizes a child's chances of advancing. For example, if the school system has higher rates of school dropouts, graffiti vandalism, high levels of poverty, and so on, this could greatly affect the child ( McDavid & McChandless, 1962 ). Theories of cultural deviance make it clear that, due to children living in poverty and deteriorating communities, children tend to resort to delinquent behavior and isolation. Psychodynamic theory emphasizes that one of the main causes of juvenile delinquency is the child's abnormal personalities that would be created and developed early in life (McDavid & McChandless, 1962). Social learning theory suggests that criminal behavior is absorbed and learned through close relationships with others. This theory holds that children are born good but learn to be bad by watching other children. This theory states that everyone has the opportunity to become a criminal because modern society offers many opportunities for carrying out illegal activities, but one has the choice to engage in such activity or not (McDavid & McChandless,
tags