Answer to Question 1
In a series of longitudinal research studies, they followed the careers of known delinquents to determine the factors that predicted persistent offending. The Gluecks made extensive use of interviews and records in their elaborate comparisons of delinquents and nondelinquents. The Gluecks' research focused on early onset of delinquency as a harbinger of a delinquent career. They also noted the stability of offending careers: children who are antisocial early in life are the most likely to continue their offending careers into adulthood.
The Gluecks identified a number of personal and social factors related to persistent offending. The most important of these factors was family relations, considered in terms of quality of discipline and emotional ties with parents. The adolescent who was raised in a large, single-parent family of limited economic means and educational achievement was the most vulnerable to delinquency.
Answer to Question 2
Life course theory: The theory that focuses on changes in criminality over the life course; developmental theory.
Latent trait theory: The view that delinquent behavior is controlled by a master trait, present at birth or soon after, that remains stable and unchanging throughout a person's lifetime.
Trajectory theory: The view that there are multiple independent paths to a delinquent career and that there are different types and classes of offenders.
Concept Summary 5.1 provides summaries and comparisons.