Philippine E-Journals

Self-concept of Male Juvenile Delinquents in Second Chance Home, Calamba City

Celine B. Santos | Jewel Ralph L. Mendoza

 

Abstract:

Juvenile delinquency is one of the many issues in psychology that are rarely talked about. This research aimed to raise awareness regarding juvenile cases and their current situation. Specifically, it intended to: 1) identify the profile of the juvenile delinquents in Second Chance Home in terms of age, economic status, and types of criminal offenses committed; 2) determine the positive and negative self-concept of the participants; 3) identify the factors influencing the self-concept of the participants; and 4) determine the influence of the interventions and activities in Second Chance Home- Calamba to the self-concepts of the participants. This explanatory mixed research involved 22 rehabilitating male juvenile delinquents aged 13-19 years old. The quantitative data were derived from Piers-Harris Self- concept Scale 2 results while the qualitative data were generated from the results of semi-structured interview. The researchers discovered that age plays a role in delinquency and their economic status is one of the factors causing their misbehavior. The most frequently committed crime among these juvenile delinquents was rape (36%). With family emerging as a major theme, most of the respondents indicated that they had healthy relationships with their families. The most frequently occurring subtheme in general was self-improvement, suggesting that they were willing to change for the better. Since the intervention programs were not geared towards the enhancement of self-concept, the researchers concluded that their programs do not directly influence their self-concepts.