Typologies of Delinquency: A Critical Analysis

By Theodore N. Ferdinand

Purists vs. Empiricists: The document discusses the debate betweenPurists, who believe delinquency is rooted in social processes, andEmpiricists, who consider multiple factors, including psychological and physiological, in explaining delinquency.

Types of Typologies: It outlines three kinds of typologies:Logical,Empirical, andIdeal, each serving different functions in understanding delinquency.

Social Class and Delinquency: The document examines how different social classes, from the upper upper-class to the lower lower-class,exhibit distinct patterns of delinquent behavior.

Psychological Typologies: Various psychological typologies of delinquency are explored, including those by Alexander and Staub,Abrahamsen, and others, highlighting different psychological profiles of delinquents.

Random House, 1966, 246 pages