ABSTRACT
Delinquency is a complex phenomenon that takes many forms and stems from a myriad of interacting forces. In spite of the complexity of the phenomenon, this chapter aims to identify some of the common elements in the personality structures and adaptive mechanisms of delinquents. Most delinquents have patterns of behaviour that are indicative of basic disturbances in personality structure. The search for common elements in delinquent behaviour must begin with an analysis of the formation and functioning of the ego, the psyche’s most important agent for dealing with reality. The delinquent has inefficient ego mechanisms, and as a result he tends to act out conflict rather than to handle it by rational means or by symptom formation. The chapter describes a number of these inefficient ego mechanisms. The nuclear problem of the delinquent lies in faulty ego development and not, as is often suggested, in superego deficiency or superego lacunae.
