Delinquent bonding, moral beliefs, and illegal behavior: A three-wave panel model

This paper examines the relationships among delinquent peer group bonding, conventional moral beliefs, and the frequency of minor and serious illegal behavior in the framework of an integrated theory of delinquent behavior. Three-wave, three-variable structural equation models are tested for minor and serious illegal behavior with data from a national longitudinal probability sample. The results are generally consistent with the integrated theory. Theoretical and methodological implications of the results are considered in the context of previous research on delinquent peer group bonding, moral beliefs, and illegal behavior.