Self-image of punk rock and nonpunk rock juvenile delinquents.

The purpose of this study was to provide some understanding of punk rockers. Although they have received media attention in the depiction of their unusual hair and clothing styles, there is limited information about their personalities. In this study a delinquent group of punk rockers was compared with a delinquent group of nonpunk rockers on self-image, a personality factor related to teenagers' mental health and adjustment. Each group consisted of 20 subjects, 15 males and 5 females, aged 14 to 17. Subjects were administered a Screening Questionnaire, the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ), and the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) while detained at a Southern California juvenile hall. Interest in the CPI was focused on the Socialization (So) scale. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted on each of the five OSIQ dimensions. No significant differences were found between the groups. The importance of these findings is that even though punk rockers may look and act unusual, they may actually be similar to other groups. Due to possibly invalid CPI test protocols a t test and content analysis of the CPI So scale was conducted. The t test was significant and the chi-square analyses were significant on two questions of the CPI So scale. This suggests that there may be differences between the groups in terms of family dynamics. Professionals can utilize these findings in their work with this misunderstood segment of society.