Ben is a high school senior who has struggled in school throughout much of his academic career. A combination of low grades and inappropriate friends seemed to put him on a path to delinquency early in life. In grade school, he started out doing quite well and even dreaming of being a police officer, but family issues and the family's lack of positive attitudes about education seem to have finally caught up with him. Ben's father has been in and out of jail for Ben's entire life, and when the father is home, he is not supportive of Ben's academics and seems only to cause problems.
Beginning in seventh grade, Ben began hanging out with a tough crowd. They frequently shoplifted and smoked marijuana. As the years went by, they progressed to prescription pills and harder drugs like crack. In order to pay for his new drug habit, Ben has broken into many of the homes of his former middle-class friends. His attitude is very cavalier when he discusses the robberies. He feels the families he stole from did not need the money or the items he stole. They are financially well off enough to buy replacements.
The teachers at Ben's school are worried that this once bright and optimistic child will never straighten his life out. They are afraid that his friends and family will keep him from attaining the dreams he once had. It is a story they are all too familiar with and fight to stop or prevent every day.
Provide an analysis of this case study by addressing the following questions:
• Which theories of delinquency are evident in Ben's story? How did the theories explain or predict Ben's situation and behavior?
• How has Ben overcome the concepts of labeling theory and the looking-glass self in this story?
• What methods might Ben's teachers use to help turn him around? Provide basis and support for your suggestions from the theories introduced in this module and in Chapter 4 of your text.