When a parent dies a child at least knows that the parent did not want to leave on his own terms and probably also did not inflict any abuse to his or her psyche before the parent passes away. Also, if a child still has contact with both parents after a divorce, the less likely they will feel neglected and react deviantly. Family size also leaves an adolescent without the necessary attention they need as an individual. Middle children are more likely to behave deviantly because they go unnoticed more than their younger or older siblings. The legal abuse and neglect definitions vary from state to state but does in any form, create serious consequences for behavior. It occurs in patterns and not just once, which causes stress, poor self-esteem, aggressiveness, lack of empathy, and fewer interactions with peers. .
Delinquency is when a child acts out their hostility towards the parent or abuser in a deviant manner (Lemert 59). Parents need to correctly punish their child when they see deviant behavior and give them love, but the problem is that some parents do not see it. Other influences outside of the home can cause of person to act deviantly. Peers, media images, and other people in society set what the norm should be in a given area but, what is considered deviant can be changed over time once society as a whole feels more comfortable and accepting of the certain type of deviant behavior. Only certain people once got tattoos and now it is a current fad to cover your whole body with them. Media portrays models and famous figures who get unusual tattoos, piercings, and have certain attitudes for people, mostly teenagers, to follow. There are more devil-worshipers, or so they portray, in the music business. This says to children that it is cool to wear the black clothes and act somewhat gothic, like them. This is just one example. It may just depend on the person to how much their peers and media influence them to go against the norms.
