THE ROLE OF MASS MEDIA SOCIALISATION IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY by CARLA MARIA DA SILVA FERNANDES submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS. in the subject CRIMINOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROF SJ JOUBERT JANUARY 2003Declaration | declare that “The Role of Mass Media Socialisation in Juvenile Delinquency” is my own work and that all sources that | have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. (miss C = S FERNANDES} 2" day of Aga _—— 2003Abstract of Dissertation When it comes to the basic perspectives on personal and social realty, it is commonly assumed that these perspectives are leamed within the parent-child relationship. As a result, the family has been typically accorded a place of primary importance the explanation of socialisation. But another influence has been lurking in the background - the mass media. Media influence upon children has generally been assumed to be significant, with powerlul, long lasting consequences. However, traditional explanatory attempts have predominantly dealt with the effects of media violence on juvenile behaviour. The result has been a relative neglect of empirical analysis of media socialisation as it relates to delinquent behaviour, a matter thal the present study atlempted to rectily. The present study proposes that the media's commitment to conformity varies in degree of congruence with societal expectations and this variation is directly transmitted fo the child influencing the child's behaviour.