I felt this was a good place to start, considering I feel that most criminal activity starts at a young age. There are very few criminals who have picked up the trade in their adult life. Just as manners and norms are developed at an early age, delinquency and defiant behavior is also. There are certain factors that wage deviance that I think are important to explain. Heredity is an important factor, a lot of characteristics come from this. How one may react to certain situations is not genetic, but can be developed early in life by home situations. The way one is treated and disciplined as a young child directly affects how he or she will perceive and treat those around them in life. The environment a child grows up in plays a key role in determining the child's view on life, which may have a direct effect on his or her proneness to delinquency.
             There are certain characteristics that I feel we inherit and certain characteristics that we develop at a young age. Some genes may cause a child to have a short temper or a limited attention span. Other genes may make it difficult for the child to learn in school. He or she may turn to other means and other children to feel "part of the group." Often these "other children" are more defiant. Without proper discipline a lot of these characteristics can become repeated and condoned behavior.
             By generalizing traits we can distinguish inherited traits from learned behavior. I believe that when children are young they learn the norms of society from their parents, but they learn social roles from their peers. They learn how to be accepted and what behavior will get them the appropriate response. First and foremost certain things need to be noted. A delinquent child is one that has little or no respect for authority. This causes them to act out against authority and any formal institution constraining him or her. A delinquent child is often characteri...