Revue internationale de psychologie scolaire et cognitive
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Selective Attention to Negative than Positive Emotions as Determinant of Delinquency in Youth in Pakistan

Riffat Ali and Farah Malik

This experimental study is the first in Pakistan to focus delinquents and non-delinquents’ youth with an assumption both groups will show differences in the emotion recognition ability especially for negative than positive emotions. Experimental group comprised 50 juvenile delinquents drawn from one prison in Lahore 50 nondelinquents; confirmed as per conduct disorder criteria of DSM-IVTR (2000); 50 adolescents not confirming delinquency criteria was drawn from four public schools as control group. Age range of the sample was 14-17 years (M=15.5, SD=1.30). Measures used were Urdu version of an experimental task Facially Expressed Emotion Labeling (FEEL; Kessler, Traue, Bayerl & Hoffman, 2002) and a semi- structured interview form to obtain in depth information. The result of 2 x 6 Factorial ANOVA indicated non-significant difference across delinquents and nondelinquents groups however significant within subjects main effect for emotions and interaction of emotions with groups. Juvenile delinquents’ accuracy score on FEEL task was high on negative emotions (anger and fear) than non-delinquents who scored high on positive emotions (happiness and surprise). Most of the subjects of experimental group met the criteria of delinquency (n=43).The findings are discussed in the light of existing literature and Pakistani cultural context.