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20 Psych., Crime & L. 1 (2014)

handle is hein.journals/pcyceadl20 and id is 1 raw text is: Psychology, Crime & Law, 2014 8 Routledge Vol. 20, No. 1, 1-19, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1068316X.2012.719622 - Tayo&Fcs~rnup The mediating role of moral disengagement in the developmental course from peer rejection in adolescence to crime in early adulthood Reid Griffith Fontainea*, Roberta Fida, Marinella Paciello', Marie S. Tisakd and Gian Vittorio Caprara aSocial Science Research Institute, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; bDepartment of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; CDepartment of Psychology, Uninettuno International Telematic University, Rome, Italy; dDepartment of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA (Received 22 January 2012; final version received 6 July 2012) Both peer relations problems and moral disengagement - the set of social- cognitive processes by which the moral content of an antisocial act is altered or removed so that the act may be more easily performed - have been repeatedly demonstrated to have a considerable impact on social development. Despite the fact that each has been found to be a reliable precursor to antisocial outcomes in youth, the relation of these two constructs in the emergence of criminal behavior has not been investigated. In the present study of 392 Italian youths, we investigated whether moral disengagement in late adolescence (16/18 years) mediates the relation between peer rejection in middle adolescence (14 years) and crime in early adulthood (18/20 years), controlling for aggressive conduct problems at age 14. Although peer rejection and aggression at age 14 did not directly affect criminal outcomes at age 18/20, we found that they indirectly impact the emergence of adult crime through moral disengagement in late adolescence (16/18 years). This finding is consistent with the theoretical position that the individual who is peer rejected and socially disfavored may, as a result of viewing the world as unfair and unjust, develop criminogenic judgment, and decision-making strategies (moral disengagement) that facilitate his or her pursuit of antisocial goals. Implications for intervention and rehabilitation, as well as directions for future research, are discussed. Keywords: moral disengagement; antisocial; development; juvenile justice; adolescence; delinquency; crime Introduction The respective developmental courses from peer rejection and moral disengagement - the social-cognitive process by which the inherent moral content of wrongdoing is detached such that performing said wrongdoing is psychologically more acceptable - to subsequent externalizing conduct problems are well documented in developmental psychopathology and social psychology literatures (e.g., see Bandura, 1999; Dodge et al., 2003). The relation between peer relations problems and antisocial behavior has been characterized by the individual's tendency to react aggressively toward a social world that he or she views as unfair and intentionally harmful (e.g., see Dodge, 1991). *Corresponding author. Email: rgf2@duke.edu © 2012 Taylor & Francis

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