40 male delinquents, comprising four matched groups with fathers present or absent, and Negro or white, were studied to estimate the effect these variables had on the development of covert and overt sex-role identification. A trend was noted toward greater field-dependence for delinquent boys than for nondelinquents, and among boys whose fathers were absent than those whose fathers were present. The Negro delinquent boys with fathers present were significantly more feminine in interest patterns than the Negro nondelinquent boys whose fathers were present. Discussion is based on theories of identification and delinquency.
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