To conduct the study on criminal and antisocial behavior at the center
of this volume, the authors devoted years to collecting data from a
large community sample of first-generation subjects. Data were garnered
throughout their early adolescence, twenties, and thirties as well as
from these first-generation subjects' biological children during their
own early adolescence. The results of these studies have profound
implications for future research and methodology on deviant behavior.
This book presents an integrative theory of deviant behavior,
synthesizing social stress, social control, societal labeling, and other
perspectives. It describes the intergenerational cycle of deviant
behaviour and identifies the relationship between deviance and its
significant correlates (e.g., self-rejection). The book offers
well-rounded insights to a wide range of professional readers, including
sociologists, criminologists, and specialists in developmental and
abnormal psychology and psychiatry.