ANOMIC FEELINGS AND ANTISOCIAL AND CRIMINAL CONDUCTS: VERIFICATION OF A CAUSAL MODEL IN YOUNG BRAZILIAN
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ANOMIC FEELINGS AND ANTISOCIAL AND CRIMINAL CONDUCTS: VERIFICATION OF A CAUSAL MODEL IN YOUNG BRAZILIAN
Nilton S. Formiga* Facultad de Mauricio de Nassau, João Pessoa, PB, Brasil.
Received: June 5th, 2012
Accepted: September 24th, 2012
ABSTRACT The anomie leads the individual to a society lacking the consensus of the content of social norms so that people can live without adhering or fulfill the social rules hurting a good individual-society interaction. That been said, the feeling anomic refers to a mental state of hopelessness and helplessness that accompanies the subject, due to lack of access to socially prescribed ways to the achievement of social goals. The deviant behaviors refer to behaviors that are not in accordance with codes and socially established moral precepts, while violating rules of conduct and causing harm to society and the individual. This study aims to verify the association of feeling with the anomic deviant behavior in young people. 235 men and women aged 13 to 20 years, the network of public and private education in the city of João Pessoa, the scale of respondents feeling of being on the fringes of society, the scale of antisocial and criminal behavior and socio-demographic. From the program AMOS 16.0 grapics, it was observed psychometric indicators that demonstrated the positive correlation, between anomic feeling and deviant behavior. Key words: Feeling anomic, Pipelines antisocial and criminal behaviors, Young
Introduction Explanations of the causes of violence among young people have been searched by the human, social and health sciences. This problem also has worried the Brazilian population in general and the institutions of control and social training (e.g., school, family, etc.), about the motives that lead young people to manifest violent behavior. Among the Brazilian youth violence has been highlighted, mainly when their authors were not only those that apply to the socio-economic and cultural features attributed to young people considered violent when it refers to the register of poverty-wealth indicators, destructuring personality, social exclusion, family dysfunction and lack of opportunities to enjoy material well-being of its authors (Adorno, 2002; Beato, Peixoto & Andrade, 2004; Formiga & Gouveia, 2003; Olmo, 1999; Pasion, 1983; Pino, 2007).
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It was not only the damage of violence among young people, in terms of human and social damage, it has also been discussed the perspective of material damage that it causes. According to Santos and Kassouf (2008), public and private expenditure on the prevention, combat and control of violence in each decade, exceed the total of 5% of the Brazilian GDP, in addition to not yet posted losses in relation to human capital, quality of life, reduction in tourism, etc. Despite this investment, violence has increased, thus increasing the mortality rate of young people aged 15 to 19, putting the country on the 3rd place in the world in deaths of young people associated with delinquent conduct (Coffey, Veit, Wolfe, Cini & Patton, 2005; Kahn, 1999; Laub & Vaillant, 2000; Waiselfisz, 2008).
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However, this is a phenomenon that has different forms, achieving a high percentage of anomalous acts and causing heavy damage to the population. To address them, it is necessary to be clear about the different modes in which violence occurs, as well as their different causes (Sanmartín, 2006). According to Formiga, Estevam, Camino, Anderson and Santos (2010), the modalities of violence among young people, generally, have been attributed to the construct of the aggressive behavior, deviant conduct and potential drug use behavior. For those authors, in a study with young paraibanos, a positive relationship between these constructs was observed. However, a title of scientific parsimony, pretends to contemplate in the present study only one of the facets of violence: anomalous behaviors.
serious, moral and/or physical damage. Therefore, such behaviors can be considered more severe that the earlier, representing an eminent threat to the existing social order. What those behaviors have in common is that both interfere with the rights and duties of persons, thereby threatening their well-being, as well as differentiating them according to the severity of the consequences originated (Formiga & Gouveia, 2003; Molina & Gomez, 1997). Possibly, any young person practices or already practiced some kind of antisocial behavior, which is part of their Repertoire, highlighting as a challenge in the breakdown of social norms and traditional rules of society by highlighting how old fashioned are the rules of the generation of their parents and that they prevent these young people from making their own will.
Anomalous behaviors, were not only conditioned to countless elaborations in terms of its concept, but also to the controversies in the form of analysis of the problem and the way to deal with the persons responsible for the conduct. In general, this type of conduct refers to a set of transgressions, only accepted as such, to consider a specific socio-cultural context (Neto, 2004).
A phenomenon that strongly among young people, is considered typical of a society that has its fragile values and institutional actions of control of the behavior unsuccessful in relation to the establishment of the social norm (Beato et al., 2004; Feijó, 2001; Minayo et al., 1999; Moreira, Rosario & Costa, 2008; Mulvey & Cauffman, 2001; Pasion, 1983).
Currently, however, these behaviors have no identified author nor specific label, they are quite varied behavior, despite obvious, developed by people who not always are identified, being able to present themselves as anti-social or criminal behavior. Those conducts refer to behaviors that are not in accordance with the codes laid down by the authorities of certain geographical space and with moral precepts socially established, simultaneously violating codes of moral conduct (Carvalho, 2010;Formiga & Gouveia, 2003).
The increase in antisocial and criminal behavior among young people, mainly those with no history of crime in the present day, is due to a change of culture that is emerging in the Western countries, i.e., the increase of individualism (Formiga & Diniz, 2011). According to Reykowski (1994), that individualistic perspective emphasizes the well-being of the self as a primary orientation to the adaptation, on the other hand, the collectivist perspective, s focused on the well-being of the group. All cognitive differences, attitudinal and behavioral between collectivism and individualism originate from this difference in implicit assumptions about the social world.
According to Formiga and Gouveia (2003), and Formiga (2005) antisocial behavior refers to the not raised awareness of rules that must be respected –from the standard of cleanliness of the streets to respect with peers in regards to certain jokes– and not practiced by some young people. In this sense, this kind of behavior is characterized by the fact of causing discomfort, but not necessarily causing physical harm to others; These relate to the respect of the antics of the young or simply in search of the breaking of social laws. In relation to criminal behavior, these authors, consider it as deserving of legal punishment, capable of causing
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Individualism, in this way, has as its fundamental assumption rationality, taking as a basis the principles of regulations, rules and laws, as a way of favoring the individualization, autonomy, self-realization and freedom of choice. On the other hand, collectivism has as a fundamental assumption the relationship, taking as a basis the principles of collective well-being, roles, duties, and obligations favoring coexistence in group. Is in this sense that «... the impulse for the individualization encouraged greater freedom in relations
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between workers and employers, men and women, parents and children. Traditional forms of deference gave place to a new affirmation of individual rights, reinforced, if necessary, by appeal to the courts of Justice» (Kumar, 1997). According to Giddens (1998), that condition, had already been glimpsed by Emile Durkheim, which defended the necessity that people need to be «individualistic», but without that conducive to social justice and empowerment, and consistency of the moral authority in society. For Sorj and Martuccelli (2008), however, the perspective advocated by Dukheim in what refers to the need for a greater individuality of subjects, should engage in greater autonomy and individual initiative, but was not what took place. On the other hand, people with an acting individualistic streak, did not perform it on the basis of the negotiating interpersonal relationships and respect for social rules and norms, returning with that dulled the relationship of the subjective world of the individual and society. That generated a loss of recognition and understanding of sociability spaces destined for social cohesion and not a State of disorganization. The fact is that cultural change took the subject to a prioritization of needs where the goal would be to obtain prestige. Thus, in the absence of resources or social support to achieve such prestige, the individual would use anomalous behavior, which would reveal not only the crime of youth, but also a dismantling and discrediting of the disciplinary power of forming and regulatory institutions of juvenile behavior and the dissolution of the socializing power of these institutions in terms of the transmission of moral and ethics for young people, thus, indicating a time of anomie (Idhac, 2009; De Giorgi, 2005; Formiga & Diniz, 2011; Lipovetsky, 1986). Such a State of anomie follows a path of social chaos, in which breaking the rule or demonstrate any deviant conduct among young people, can be an ennobling Act for the construction of the youth image and the search for the aspirations of consumption for the own realization of the subject. An excessive deviation of the rule transposes the spaces of the private life of persons, affecting the public and collective spaces and a sense of insecurity and social exclusion (Arendt, 2009; Neto, 2004; Sorj & Martuccelli, 2008).
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Despite Durkheim (1893/1992; 1925/2002) considered that criminal action (i.e. criminal) could be understood as something normal in the dynamics of any society, although in bearable levels, that action should be penalized and inhibited, because it is rejected by society. This would happen either by causing prejudice to the order and harmony of the society as per the indication that the subject was not capable of internalizing the norms and social values required by the society. For those seeking harmony and social welfare, a criminal condition gives rise to feelings and behaviors of rejection to this situation. The intensity and ease of crime reveal a fragility in the integration between individual, society and laws for the social order, resulting in anomie. The study about anomie, won conceptual strength and analysis of social problems with Emile Durkheim in his books The Social Work Division and suicide. For Durkheim (1895/ 2004; 1897/2000), the anomie refers to a condition that the society has on the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, in terms of the recognition of the absence of reference of social norms and that orient and regulate the socially desirable behavior of individuals and institutions. The existence of anomie in the society turns the regulating power ineffective, since the social norms and institutions of control, who have power over the social behaviors, becomes incapable of the cohesion of society. According to Agnew (1997), Durkheim thought that anomic State is a peculiar condition of modern society and consequent economic development of it, in which the values, morals and ethics are determined by the material enrichment of the people, so that they are delivered to their passions and live only for themselves, so that there is no solidarity and cooperation among the members of society, as a result, a consciousness that gives priority to the collective and social. According to McClosky (1976, 1978), anomie leads the individual to a society devoid of consensus of the content of social norms, making so people live without adherence or to conform to the necessary social rules for a good interaction individual-society.
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Hear Read phonetically Dictionary - View detailed dictionary Although the conception of Durkheim on anomie has been significant for the establishment of the subject in sociology and Criminology, another scholar of great influence in the study of anomie was Robert Merton. He developed a systematic theoretical perspective proposed by Durkheim, as well as the Association of that topic with deviant behavior (Caliman, 2006; Giddens, 1998; Huertas, 2009; Reyes, 2008). Different from Durkheim, the anomie concept developed by Merton (1938/2002) was amended, referring to the pressure that society imposes on people to make them behave, in a deviant way, when the rules and social reality come into conflict. I.e. the fissure designated by Durkheim between the society and social norms, can even be recognized by Merton (1938/2002), but, according to this author, the anomie occurs between the institutionally accepted ends and media subsystem so that the social diversion is made. Merton (1938/2002), in his book social theory and social structure, based on the concept of anomie, and with the aim of advancing the concept and explanation of the problem of the social diversion in modern society, as well as expand the concept clarifies the function of anomie when it tries to explain the conflicts and social order. For this author, anomie is an structural not cyclical problem, as well as originating from the imposed power of social norms demanded by the favored social class, it is about the impossibility that the subject accepts and acts normatively, therefore this is due to social inequalities that are determined by the highest social class for the realization of the objectives of the most disadvantaged. The breaking of cultural structure leads to a separation between the rules and the goals set by the culture and conditions that are socially structured people, society and the group to follow in accordance with what is required. In other words, for Merton anomie would have as its source the finding by individuals and groups of an inconsistency in the society, making socially available means are insufficient to achieve socially valued goals. From studies of Durkheim and Merton, several investigations were carried out with the aim of preparing
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psychologically and sociologically, the concept and measurement of anomie (Caliman, 2006; Rodriguez, 2006). In this way, Srole (1956) established, in psychological terms, a concept and a measurement of that variable. This author conceived anomie as a mental state, i.e., a feeling of despair and abandonment that accompanies the subject, due to the lack of access to socially prescribed media for the realization of the social purposes. According to Rodríguez (2006), despite having found other authors that also attributed to anomie a State of mind in terms of the lack of meaning and belonging in the dynamic individual-society –for example, Deflem (1989) and Laswell (1952)– in pragmatic terms, how to construct anomie, Srole (1956) deserves to be highlighted for having developed an instrument for the measurement of the construct. It is a scale of the likert-type, consisting of five items to measure the degree of anomie (taking it as a feeling) of people. Based on the conception of Srole, Travis (1993) elaborates an alternative scale to evaluate the anomie in psychological terms, once considered the proposal of Srole (1956) very wide in conceptual terms and, mainly, when attempting to measure the anomie with more diversified samples and compare it with the subcultures. Travis (1993), then referenced in the theory of alienation (specifically, the social isolation) and anomie to develop an instrument with seven items, which should be answered on a likert-type scale. This scale was intended to measure how much is that the subject feels like it is to the margins of society in relation to the realization of its objectives, that is, how much he feels socially excluded. Thus, from these theoretical perspectives, it is judged by an individual having a greater perception of their exclusion in society, feeling powerless to carry out its objectives, probably this will be able to express an antisocial and criminal behavior. The present study has as hypothesis verification of a theoretical model in that the feeling of being on the margins of society is associated positively with antisocial and criminal behavior. Method Participants 235 young people participated in the study from 13 to 20 years, with an equitable share of young males (49%) and
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ANOMIC FEELINGS AND ANTISOCIAL AND CRIMINAL CONDUCTS: VERIFICATION OF A CAUSAL MODEL IN YOUNG BRAZILIAN
females (51%), of the network of public and private education of the city of João Pessoa - PB, who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study.
social norms (for example, throw garbage on the ground despite having a trashcan nearby; ring the doorbell of someone’s House and run away); and criminal behavior, these include criminal behavior that are outside the law, characterizing a violation of someone or society as one whole wrong and harmful conduct (for example, stealing objects from cars; money, threatening weaker people). For each item, participants should indicate how much their day to day pointed out behavior represented. For that, using a scale of response with ten points, taking the following: 0 = never, and 9 = always.
Instruments The panellists responded the following questionnaires: •
Scale of feeling of being on the fringes of society (MOS - Margins of Society Scale). The MOS was developed by Travis (1993) and adapted by Souza et al. (2003) to the Brazilian context, presenting reliable alphas. The present scale is made up of seven items seeking to assess how much is that people have to suffer social exclusion (for example, I feel very lonely today; No matter how much a person strives in life, it makes no difference; I feel discriminated against socially; I feel like my world is falling; I wanted to be someone important; It is difficult for me to say what is right and wrong; I do not like to live in accordance with the rules of society). To answer, the person must read each item and indicate how much they are in agreement with each of the seven statements and indicate (marking with an X or circle in one scale of Likert type, that varies from 1 = disagrees completely, 2 = disagree partially, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = I agree in part and 5 = completely agree). In that study, in addition that the scale revealed acceptable internal consistency indicators for the Brazilian context, it presented also fit indicators of quality for its structural model next to those recommended in the literature χ2/gl (7.11/11) = 0.64; RMR = 0.04; GFI = 0.99; AGFI = 0.98; CFI = 1.00; RMSEA = 0.00 (0.00-0, 04). The value of the ECVI and CAIC were not necessary for there to be model to be compared (Byrne, 1989; Tabachnick & Fidell, 1996; Van de Vijver & Leung, 1997).
•
Scale of anti-social and criminal behavior. This instrument, proposed by Seisdedos (1998) and validated by Formiga and Gouveia (2003) to the Brazilian context, includes a behavioral measure related to antisocial and criminal behavior. Such a measure is composed of forty elements, divided into two factors, as follows: antisocial behavior, its elements do not express crimes, but behaviors that challenge the social order and infringe
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The present scale revealed psychometric indicators consistent to identifying the above highlighted factors; for the Antisocial behavior it was found a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.86 and criminal behavior or criminal 0.92. Considering the confirmatory factor analysis, performed with Lisrel 8.0, those previously found dimensions were corroborated (χ2/gl = 1.35; AGFI = 0.89; PHI (Φ) = 0.79, p > 0.05) in the analysis of the main components (Formiga, 2003; Formiga & Gouveia, 2003). •
Socio-demographic characterization. Participants answered a set of questions about personal features (sex, age, etc.) in order to characterize respondents of the research.
Procedure and data analysis All the procedures adopted in this research followed the guidelines provided for in the resolution 196/96 of lCNS and the resolution 016/2000 of the Federal Council of Psychology (Cns, 1996; Anpepp, 2000). For the implementation of the instrument, the one responsible for the collection of data visited the coordination or direction of education institutions, speaking directly with directors and/or coordinators to then try to permit together with teachers of each discipline, seek to obtain your authorization to occupy a classroom and apply the questionnaires. To be authorized, the students were contacted, summarily stating the objectives of the research requesting their voluntary participation. The respondents were told that there is no right or wrong answer and that even if they still need an individual response, they should not be forced to respond, and may withdraw at any time either when they had the questionnaire
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in their hands or when they start reading, or other possible conditions. In any one of those events, there would be no problem with their resignation. Everyone was assured the anonymity of their responses, emphasizing that they would be treated as a whole statistically; despite the questionnaire being auto-applied, counting with the necessary instructions so that it can be answered, collaborators were present during the entire application to remove any doubts or make clarifications which were indispensable, not interfering in the logic and understanding of the answers of the respondents. A single pollster, previously coached, was present in the classroom, introducing instruments, resolving eventual doubts and conferring the general quality of the responses issued by respondents. In regards to the analysis of the data of this research, we used version 18.0 of the statistical package SPSS for Windows. Descriptive statistics (central tendency and dispersion) were computed. The following statistical indicators for the model of structural equations (SEM) were considered according to the goodness of subjective adjustment. This statistical program has the function of presenting more robustly, psychometric indicators that give a better construction of the adaptation and developed scale accuracy, as well as allow you to design a theoretical model intended in the study. With the AMOS program version 16.0, it was intended to test the adequacy of the one-dimensional model, whereas as an input matrix of co-variances, having been adopted the ML estimator (Maximum Likelihood). This type of statistical analysis is of greater criteria and more rigorous than that of the first study in this research. This allows to directly prove a theoretical structure, as in the case of which they are proposed in the present investigation. This analysis presents some indexes that allows it to evaluate the quality of adjustment of the proposed model (Byrne, 1989; Hair, Anderson, Tatham & Black, 2005; Kelloway, 1998; Tabachnick & Fidell, 1996; Van de Vijver & Leung, 1997), for example: •
The χ 2 (x-squared) tests the likelihood that the theoretical model can be adjusted to the data; the higher this value, the worse the adjustment. This index has been little used in the literature, being more common to consider its reason in relation to the degrees of freedom
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(χ2/gl). In this case, up to 5 values indicate an adequate adjustment. •
Root Mean Square Residual (RMR), indicating the setting of the theoretical data model, in the measure where the difference between the two approaches zero. So the model should be considered tight, the value must be less than 0.05.
•
The Goodness-of-Fit Index (GFI) and the Adjusted Goodness of-Fit Index (AGFI) are analogous to the R² in multiple regression. Therefore, they indicate the proportion of Variance-Co-variance data explained by the model. These vary from 0 to 1, with values in the margin of the 0.80 and 0.90 or higher indicating a satisfactory adjustment.
•
The Comparative Fit Index (CFI) compares, in general, the estimated model and the null model, considering the nearer values of one as indicators of satisfactory adjustment values (Hair et al., 2005).
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The Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA), with its 90% confidence interval (ICun 90%), is considered an indicator of «evil» of setting i.e., higher values indicate a not-adjusted model. It is assumed as the ideal which the RMSEA is situated between 0.05 and 0.08, accepting values of up to 0.10 (Garson, 2003; Kelloway, 1998).
•
The Expected Cross-Validation Index (ECVI) and the Consistent Akaike Information Criterion (CAIC) are usually indicators used to assess the adequacy of a model determined in relation to another. Low values of the ECVI and CAIC express the model with the best fit (Bilich, Silva & Ramos, 2006; Hair et al., 2005).
Results and discussion Considering the main objective of this study - the explanation of the deviant conduct from the feeling of being on the margins of society – it was done, from the analysis and modeling of the structural equation in the program AMOS 16.0, the empirical verification in terms of their predictive criteria of that variable, ensuring with that, a robust explanatory consistency among them. For that, it was considered a non-recursive model of structural equations. In Figure 1, after appropriate revisions
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9
8
0 ,5 1
0 ,8 9
1 2 3 4
0,1 4 0,1 0 0 ,43 0 ,3 5
5
0 ,0 8
6
0 ,1 0
7
0 ,1 2
M O S01 0 ,37 M O S0 2 0 ,1 5
e1
Co n d ut a Antissoc ia l
0 ,03
0 ,9 5
M O S0 3 0 ,6 5 M OS0 4
0 ,5 9
M OS0 5
0 ,1 6 0,1 4
M OS0 6
0 ,16
MO S
0,36
Co n d ut a De lit iva 0 ,72
Co nd utas D es via ntes
0,1 6
e2
M O S0 7
Figure 1. Structural model for the explanation of anti-social and criminal behavior from
in the error settings, a suitable model was found, presenting the following reason: χ2/gl (26.08/27) = 0.97; RMR = 0.05; GFI = 0.98; AGFI = 0.96; CFI = 1.00, RMSEA = 0.01 (0.00-0, 05). It was noted that the weight of the variable considered about the feeling of being on the fringes of society presented a positive associative score (λ = 0.36) with anomalous behaviors (see Figure 1). Considering that the proposed model was proven, it was chosen in an analysis of variance to determine the mean score the responses of subjects in antisocial and criminal behavior in relation to the anomic feeling. Thus, there was a significant result when a higher average score, only for high antisocial behavior (M = 2.67, DP = 0.05) [F (1, 2, 3, 4) = 7.54, p < 0.01] in regards to anomic feeling for the subjects. For the offense, the results were not significant, a condition that is understandable, because the sample did not contemplate, specifically, young people with a history of crime or those who were in coercive institutions. This is, probably, the subject with a sense of exclusion does not comply with social norms, showing more antisocial behavior. Objectively speaking, it refers to the mental state of that subject when a weak social cohesion and emotional support from people in their environment in terms of acceptance and access of the norms, preventing then, the not deviant acting, although the others can transgress (Aceituno, Asun, Ruiz, Reinoso, Venegas & Corbalán, 2009). Finally, while these subjects are, with a self perception of social abandonment, this in turn, distorts reality, making it so that the subject does not understand the organization
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and the functioning of society as to the status of the social purposes from the socially accepted means (McClosky & Schaar, 1965; Srole, 1956) without breaking the existing social norm. In a general way, according to Lopez (2009), the anomic feeling points to an analysis of the individual, which as part of the society is who, from their personal characteristics, perceived the disorganized social system, leading the subject to the diversion of the conduct. This detour, for its part, is justified not only because society failed with his social and economic promises aimed to his personal rise, but also, his social failure influenced the low identity and sentimental ambiguity of the person with the existing society and the establishment of the rules of conduct, both with the externality of control and much of the internality of the rules and social standards (Laswell 1952; Deflem, 1989; MacIver, 1950). A study carried out by Aillet, Le Quéau and Olm (2000), despite not using Travis’ scale (1993), but, addressing a similar theoretical perspective on psychological anomie, it was observed that that type of anomia, influenced not only risk behaviors and the delinquency (greater hedonism, increasing mental instability, etc.), but also a suicidal tendency. While the concept of psychological anomie needs some adjustment, as there are a significant number of theorists seeking to propose a measurement of this construct in psychological terms (Atteslander & Gransow, 1999; Nikos & Agnew, 1997), such construct, each to its own evaluation model, aims to verify the social subject’s negativity that can be established not only as social compensation, as
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with psychological interventions when the case is for the subject to present a high anomic feeling. Silgemann (1981), in a study with Brazilians, using athe scale of Srole it was noted a positive relationship with the alienation. I.e. the more the anomic sentiment, which for Srole (1956) refers to the sense of abandonment, the greater is the feeling of social impotence, greater is the passivity and accommodation with the situation experienced by the person, since she is not able to change anything because in the system the person has no power of sovereignty, with a kind of inner emptiness and helplessness. Considering the perspective of psychological anomie attributed by Travis (1993), in accordance with the verification of the theoretical model tested in this study, a self perception of the subject against their role in society and mainly in the assessment of it in terms of its function to social change and achieve the objectives demanded by the society so that all its members can achieve what they want based on the statutory regulations, probably could inhibit the deviant behavior among young people; otherwise, the offset will occur, therefore with an auto-anomic feeling, the subject not only manifests an experience of social emptiness, but also, that it needs to understand and recognize the values of others, so that their dignity is secure, by placing its condition of being creative and spontaneous regardless of their social and psychological development. The instrument proposed by Travis (1993) to assess psychological anomie proved a causal model in terms of the intensity of the deviant conduct associated with anomic sentiment (antisocial and criminal behavior), specifically, in what refers to people who suffer social exclusion. Such an outcome can reflect on the weakness of the mental state of individuals in terms of their assessment, as a social being, in the society and structure and psychological organization in terms of membership and social identity. Anomic sentiment could thus correspond to a psychological stroke of voidness, attracted for new and ephemeral things, which, when they are identified, they would be able to prevent human behavior, especially those aimed at breaking the norms and social rules. That feeling of emptiness and isolation reflects the decline of the power of traditional institutions, as is the family and the State
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institutions and their social and emotional support the subjects forming these institutions, prevailing, with this, the individualism, the uncertainty of the future and an action that experiences the here - and - now, causing a crisis not only in social cohesion, but also in the quality of life and the psychological state against the beliefs and socially desirable attitudes, causing an excessive devotion to individualistic behavior (Aceituno et al., 2006; Formiga & Diniz, 2011;Gadea, 2006; Magalhães, 1998; McCloskey, 1976). This individualistic dynamic, established in the structure and organization of work conceived by Durkheim, as well as the Middle-End social conflict highlighted by Merton, probably can predict anomalous behaviors. This occurs because the subject will increasingly seek to meet their need and particular interest, since the state did not meet his promise and, for failing to comply, it does not deserve confidence, making it so that the subject feels rejected and marginalized about the social and economic advancement of society (Formiga & Diniz, 2011; Reyes, 2008; Silgemann, 1981). It focuses on that, in the direction of the dissatisfaction with the legal or social standards, in which, they are insufficient for the orientation of individual behavior, adequately complied with culturally established means and purposes taking the anomalous behaviors. That individualism, as is discussed above, promotes a greater appreciation of the individual standards, which will overwrite the social norms, mainly because the individual, not only doesn’t feel integrated into the system, but also, because the respect, consideration and civility towards himself and to the other are no longer dedicated, thus, disbelief in itself and the society is an inevitable condition, building in him a sense of lack of interest with himself and what you can do to make society better. I.e., nothing else matters, since the subject itself is not important. According to García (2006), close to what Durkheim and Merton considers, it is believed that due to the evolution of the industry society, individuals are disoriented and misfits, as economic success is the trigger for the lack of control over the wishes of man by a society and socially accepted standards causing damage in the degree of control and strength of the ties of society - individual for the social behavior; by emphasizing the results found in this study,
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the evolutionary process of the society goes further, and their capitalist strength is influential also, subjective psychological experiences of feelings of inferiority, causing a release against the rights and duties set forth and required by the state and its authorities.
and non-viability of the scale evaluated by Rodriguez (2006), but it should be mentioned that the scale of Travis (1993) is more a piece in the puzzle of the study of the psychological anomie. However, it requires that future studies be performed with that scale to assess the accuracy of the construct.
The problem of anomie and deviant behavior should not be exclusively of economic and social shortcomings, but also, the perception of the subject when a being does not feel part of society, a being that it is not valued and included in the plans of the progress and success of the current society, returning to the subject unable to internalize, with that, a feeling of citizenship. Thus, the lack of internalization of a sense of order, reflects a limit in the rationality of the identification of social bonds responsible for the sustainability of social harmony and resolution of conflicts that cause of criminal conduct (Pegoraro, 2006).
Conclusion
That anomic feeling targets in direction to a behavior of subversion, which is responsible for the disintegration and breakdown of social relations, but also, for the not submission to the social relations of social and interior order. The desire to be and remain attached is what prevents the dissolution of the social and psychological structure capable of regulating the reciprocity, recognition and acceptance of the differences of the social functions of each subject established hierarchically and a greater social solidarity approach; If it isn’t, the social divertion will emerge. Although it has not been a main objective of the present study, that is, to evaluate the structure factor of the MOS scale, it is important to note that a scale proposed by Travis (1993) approaching the psychological perspective of the scale of anomie resalted by McCloky and Schaar (1965) and of Srole (1956), which were validated by Rodríguez (2006) with a show in Costa Rica. Specifically, a scale of McCloky and Schaar (1965) presented acceptable indicators of adjustment by the existing literature (for example, χ2 = 33.74; gl = 25; p = 0.11, RMR = 0.45, RMSEA = 0.04, CFI = 0.96, GF = 0.96 and AGFI = 0.93). Considering the psychological construct to check anomie, Travis (1993) scale revealed, in this study, better indicators than those found by Rodriguez (2006). It is worth noting that, despite the qualitative difference between these indicators, that it cannot be considered a condition of removal
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Verification of the theoretical model in terms of the psychological perspective of the anomie and his explanation for the antisocial and criminal behavior are reflected on the need to rescue not only self-esteem, but also a collective consciousness in people, in relation to the feeling that they are part of the construction and integration of society. This fact would correspond to the establishment, in the subject, of the feeling of social inclusion not only against the promises of the state, but also in compliance with them by their own state and of the people who comprise it. These in turn, would probably influence in the inhibition of the manifestation of deviant (antisocial or criminal) conduct. Apart from the expenses for the violence already listed above, others can be provided, since the increase in violence and the ineffectiveness of laws and social norm, the greater the need to invest in surveillance and other strategies to try to curb anomalous behaviors (constant story situation of traffic or even crime in Brazilian cities - for example, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, etc.), as well as, rising with the establishment of these security strategies, the sense of inclusion and a self-perception of the person, group, community, etc., are important for society, which is why they are organized in social protective factors. Future studies could find new variables associated with anomie, trying to guide professionals in different areas, especially in education, as well as guiding the development of public policies in order to reduce the perception of the breakdown of social norms. For example, the educational environment offers a rich field for investigations of the relationship between anomie and other variables related to the subject, not only for the history of violence in our schools, but also, due to the fact that education is being challenged in its function of enabling greater social equality. It is expected that the objectives of this study have been completed and come and add one more variable in the
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study on anomalous behavior in Brazilian youths. It is believed to contribute, in regards to the study of anomie in the space of psychological science, reflections on the participation of the institutions of psychosocial protection (e.g., family, school, NGO, etc.) in front of the organization and administration of the socially desirable conduct and maintenance of interpersonal relations ensuring social and psychological harmony. Although the hypothesis put forward in the present study is considered proven, in these results it is necessary to consider some limits: it would be interesting a study which will take the socio-demographic variables like influence of the anomie and anomalous behaviors; it could be useful for an intercultural and transcultural study with the objective of verifying both the variation of anomie as anomalous behaviors assumed by young people of different social and cultural contexts; and finally, you could replicate a study with the same variables, contemplating youth groups whereas the parental dynamics of socialization in relation to the implication of parents and the school, comparing them to young people without the involvement of those institutions. Finally, it is good to emphasize that when it is going to consider the results of this study, it is necessary to take into account more specific or universal aspects of each cultural context in the verification of those variables when it is intended to deal with them for other social spaces. On the one hand, it is important to consider local, specific or exclusive dimensions (emics) of the orientation of each culture, as well as, and not least, check the universal dimensions (etics) of culture, with the aim of comparing those studied constructs here for another geopolitical and social space (Muenjohn & Armstrong, 2007; Triandis et al., 1993; Triandis, 1995; Van de Vijver & Leung, 1997).
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