Data Collection Tools and Procedures

5

Heavy Metal Music Preference Delinquent Friends, Social '

Control, and Delinquency

SIMON I. SINGER

MURRAY LEVINE

SUSYAN JOU

COMMENTARY by Simon Singer

I first had the idea to look at the relationship between delinquency and music preference after reading a New Yorker article in 1986 about Los Angeles subur- ban gangs. Within that excellent article by the journalist William Barich (1986), I saw a dearly articulated hypothesis. I didn't need to go much further than that to develop a theory about the possible effects of music on delinquency.

It so happened that the next year I was asked if I wished to do a "needs as- sessment" for a large suburban community. There was New York State agency money available to conduct a survey for which I was given discretion as to how to define the proposed assessment. I wanted not only to meet the agency's goal of evaluating the concerns and interests of the town's youth, but also to assess the extent to which youth were involved in a variety of delinquent behaviors.

The idea of linking music preference to self-reported delinquency through the survey technique came about when we needed to figure out an incentive that would lead to the participation of youth in the survey. We received a good deal on music coupons from a major retail record store in the area. To close the deal with the record store we asked that the store cashiers record the actual

' music that was purchased on the returned incentive coupon. The survey also asked music preference, and we felt that along with actual music purcha e

Sourcr:Journal i?f R~earch i11 Cri111e and Delinquency. Vol. JO, N . J, Auhl'\J\t 1993, PP· JI ]-JlQ 1 1993 · bl . I ·

' · Jgl' Publications, Inc. Reprmted by permtS~on of !:>age Pu 1 at10m, n1;

Thh article ",l \Ub~tantial revi~ion of a paper onginally pre ented at the: I 99U annual mect- 1~ of the American ociety of Criminolot,,,y, Baltimore. We thank Robert Af,'IlCW, M1ch.1el F IJ . . 1·, •rsions of this ar-arre , and Lionel Lewi for their helpful c mments on car 1cr vc · tide D f S · I SUNY-Butfalo, Ii · iren rorrc ·pondenl'.t's to imon J. Singer, Department o Ol'.JO ogy, ·

utfaJo, NY 14260.

109

PART Ill SURVEY RESEARCH

110 -- . sure that would make the articl btrusive mea

would provide an uno . onvincing. al . howed that the main effect of heavy

more c . he an ysis s . bl · ifi The first step 111 t . £'. ther important vana es was sign ca~

olltng ior O l preference after contr . d . teraction effects based not on y on what However, we hypothesize in llent work of Keith Roe (1985). Roe's stud"

1 n the exce . h . f 1 . ·1 P

roposed but a so O h of multivariate tee mques o ana ys1s to h d for t e use . d h pointed to t e nee . h' b tween music preference an attac ments to

out the possible relatto?s ip ere able to do using the techniques that Aike d

ts This we we . . . n school an paren · d d in their book on testing interactions with n-.,ul

(1991) recommen e h . . •a.11 .. and West d . uite useful to present t e interaction effects as . · We foun it q .

uple regression. . how the mean level of delinquency changed at each they suggest by showmg

level of interaction. . 1

t ted out with a simple idea, it is important that it b Althou~h the abrttc de s ar ntext of subcultural theories of delinquency and e

considered m the roa er co . d d 1 . . d d than J. ust expressed att1tu es an va ues to uncover the

cnme More 1s nee e ·b h' gh . · b u1 h t are hypothesized to contn ute to 1 rates of delin-

vanous su c tures t a . . h Th

. d' t · dicators of subcultural affiliation are t e measures that quency. e m irec m . d . S b

b f, h Unde rstanding of delinquency an cnme. u cultural the-

can est urt er our . . fit from looking at the representations of culture m the form ory can pro more .

of its various artifacts, which include not only music but styles of dress and

behavior. We would like to see more research that takes into account what goes on in

the daily lives of youth. Not only do schools classify youth, but youth classify themselves and they seem to do so with regard to music preference. How strongly they identify with various forms of music is a critical part of how they see themselves. Part of what is heard is heard for its entertainment value alone, and would bear little significance except for the fact that it is associated with other factors that attract youth to a particular kind of music. The fact that we were able to show that the relationship between heavy metal and delinquency is not direct would support those who argue that youth should feel free to hear any kind of music they want. Music alone is not enough to make someone delinquent according to our data .

. More research is needed on the cultural artifacts of our society and the delinqu~nt cond~ct of its youth. Such data are not easy to obtain and require us to thmk creat~vely about their measurement and analysis. It is important to go beyond any simple explanation for delinquent behavior, and to apply the advanced methodological tools of criminological research to understanding the complex causes of delinquency and crime.

ABSTRACT The auth · fi h . ors examined the relationship between a preference or eavy metal music am la th (N = 715) d d li ong a rge sample of suburban high school you an e nquency c lli · ables as well as d lin ' ontro ng for parental and school-related wri-

' e quent associati Th th esis that heavy metal has an effi ons. . ey found support for th hypo .-

ect on delinquency when p ntal con l 15

p CHAPTER 5 HEAVY METAL MUSIC

PREFERENCE AND DELINQUENCY 111

low. However, they found no support for the h . . tween a preference for heavy metal and d r ypothesized interaction be- p

ectations, those students with better sche mlquent peers. Contrary to ex- . . oo marks and a p f4 c.

heavy metal music had higher amounts of lf. . re erence 1or se -reported delinquency.

The sounds of "heavy metal" lay along the fringe of t . al · d' · . con emporary musical

P references. Heavy met 1s 1stmgu1shed from lighte c f k

1 . r 1orms o roe and roll by

the extremely loud c ashmg of electrical steel guitars a d b 1 . . . h . · d" n Y yncs wit an 1m- age1-v of violence. Accor mg to Grass's (1990) det ·1 d · h . , a1 e review, eavy metal music expresses a culture of power, violence, and fatalism He t M .. 1 "L. w· " hi h · no es ot ey Crile 's ~ong ive !re, w c calls women whores, speaks of smashing womens faces, and gomg for the jugular. 1 Gross further relates a Judas Priest's hit album "Defenders of the Faith," which warns that" 'rising from the dark- ness where Hell hath no mercy and the screams of vengeance echo on forever only those who keep the faith shall escape the wrath of the Metallian' ,,; (p.123). Furthermore, Gr~ss's nonrepresentative sampling of heavy metal music also includes the unpublished lyrics " 'Blessed are the wicked, cursed are the weak,' "and" 'Your God is dead and now you die, Satan rules at last' "(p. 124).

Heavy metal, as a cultural artifact, is not just communicated in lyrical form. It is also contained in distinct patterns of dress. For instance, some fans display a runic lightning bolt, borrowed from the heavy metal group AC/DC's album covers, Nazi Schutz Staffel and swastika designs, skeletons and death heads (Gross 1990, p. 125). Moreover, some of the behavior of heavy metal perform- ers communicates particular norms of conduct. As part of their performance, heavy metal stars, at times, will dramatize bizarre forms of behavior. A widely publicized example is when Ozzy Osbourne allegedly bit the head of a bat in the middle of a concert and then received rabies shots afterwards (Barich 1986). Although the act of biting a bat might be purely theatrical, it can be considered entertainment only by particular segments of society.

Similarly, there are actual acts of violence reported among heavy metal fans. In numerous concert tours, heavy metal means heavy security, particularly in the wake of high rates of arrest and physical injuries among those attending the concerts (Montgomery 1992). The security precautions that are required at heavy metal concerts are surely much greater than those required at the phil- harmonic or ballet. It seems obvious that a proportion of youth present at heavy metal concerts is different in their personal taste and behavior from youth at- tending the symphony. Moreover, parental concern about he.avy metal has le.d to attempts to require parental permission to purchase certam types of music

that are considered offensive (see Arnett 1991).

*"Defenders of the Faith" by G. Tipton/R . Halford/K. Downing. 1984 EMI April Music lnc./Crewglen Ltd./Ebonytree Ltd./Geargate Ltd. All Right Controlled ~d AdministlTed by EMI April Mu ic Inc. All Right Re ervcd/lnternational Copynght Secured/Used by Permi ~ion.

erAL AND ITC EA\/Y 1\11 · ·

H plain about the mu 1c of its Yottth s to co111 f h , w

eradon seem: b tween popular forms o yout culture Although each genhe relationship e 1990). There are several possible Wayand

. 1 about t . (Newman F. h to know htt e f behavior tal on delinquency. ll'St> t ere are th ~ ru1s o f heavy me d h 0

deviant o 'ble effects o . censorship base on t e argument th h poss1 of music . .k h . . at

view t c . sonie form d 1. quent behavior. Lt e t e viewing of . dvocate 1 d to e tn . . v10.. who a I ·s directly re ate . xposure to heavy metal ts believed to int h vy n,eta 1 d movies, e hi . f to-ea I ·s1·on shows an 1 es and behaviors. T s view o heavy rne ... ,1 J nt te ev1 d . ant va u . f d . \ct! e d reinforce evi f h r important deternunants o elinquency

duce an . £fc cts o ot e h h . . s the possible e e . b Arnett (1991) found t at eavy metal listene ignore alysis y . . li I er rs

I deed a recent an h e reckless behavior 1s tt e auected by th . n ' d outh w os . e1r are already alienate Y (1991 ) further reported that youth listened to heavy music preference. Arnett d the music had the effect of making them le

h were angry, an b h . ( ss metal when t ey . . ted with delinquent e av1or Agnew 198S) 93) If anger is assoc1a f d lin ' angry (p. · . h ld produce a lower rate o e quent behavior. In-

tal musics ou then heavy me d h t contrary to what might be suggested by those who d d Ar ett conclu es t a , · ee ' n al usic "it would seem more appropriate to advocate

ish to ban heavy met m ' h h · w . . h metal music for adolescents w o s ow evidence of a subscnbmg to eavy fc fc h

. c. · n" (1991 p. 94). Thus a pre erence or eavy metal may propensity LOr aggress10 . , even reduce delinquent behav10r. . .

In contrast to viewing the delinquent behavior of youth as either height- ened or suppressed by their preference for heavy metal, a more complex model would consider the effects of music in interaction with other indicators of delinquency. Heavy metal may be related to delinquent behavior in interaction with social control and peer group affiliations. The influence of social control and culture is emphasized in Barich's analysis of violent delinquency among suburban youth. Based on the interviews with Los Angeles suburban gang members and gang workers, Barich (1986) suggests that heavy metal lyrics in- crease the likelihood of delinquent behavior among naive youth and youth low in parental attachment and control.

An intelligent. kid mi~ht be able to react to heavy metal as theater, but a dull or confused kid took Its messages seriously. If a kid had no parental guid- ance, no filter between hi'm d th . . b" b

. an e music its anthems however 1zarre, urned mt h. b · · ' ' 0

is ram with all the power of gospel. (Barich 1986, P· 102) Thus Barich 's hy th · d . that cont po esize mteraction between music and delinquency stre~es

emporary forms of h 1 f b- urban delinq . b yout cu ture affect the emerging pattern o su

uency, ut only d n- trol. Those youth h among youth low in parental attachment an co l'k W O are weak . · n· · h 1ore 1 ely to take the d f m mte 1gence, according to Banc , are 11 .

wor s o heavy 1 . . h · delin- quent behavior. meta music seriously in justifying t eir

The specific d . spe . fi . an Interactive effc

h ci ed m the research li't ects of culture on delinquency

t eory t erature on b I s resses that dev· su cu tures and delinqu ncy.

tant values and norms are upport d in th

further ub ultural ont of

--~ '"''~u utUNQUENcv 113 --1 ·ent aroups. In Matza's (1964) v· ado est . i:, • iew, the d .

11ore unportant than the static vision f Ynanuc aspects of a sub 1 are 1 d o subc 1 cu ture h t are directed towar s explaining low 1 u tures presented in th . t a w· 1960) er-c ass deli eories

Cl Ward and O m . Rather than r fc nquency (Cohen 1955 o . " e er to a "d li ; atedly emphasizes a subculture of d li e nquent subculture,, h repe e nquenc ,, i hi ' e

ractions lead to the common acceptance of d 1 · y n w ch peer group in- te Matza (1964), delinquency becomes "publ" e _mh~uent behavior. According to . ,, (p IC Wit m the nfi I Provincial groupmgs . 33) . co nes of more or ess . .

This group onentat1on to subcultures of d li . rk of Schwendinger and Schwendinger (1 ;85n)quTehncy is extended in the

wo ,, · ey relate d ,, 0115 umption patterns to contemporary adoles b mo ern-day c . cent su cultur F they identify White street-corner youth as "pu k ,, d .. es. or example,

d h n ers an heavy tal ,, Groups of punkers an eavy metalers develop coll t· 1 . . me ers. . . d ec ive re ationships th t £ cilitate group decisions an acceptable forms of delin b h . a a-

di quent e avior (Schwen clinger and Schwen nger 1985, p. 304). - Similarly, Willis's (1978) ethnographic study of British yo th . .

. . . u views music as a means of mtegratmg adolesce?ts mto a c~mmon culture. Within this general youth culture, subg,roups are umt~d ~y their taste for particular forms of music (Willis 1990). Roes (1985) longitudinal survey data also show that music is a vehicle for the expres~ion of adoles_cent group values and identity (p. 361). Ac- cording to Roe, allegiance to particular youth groups is defined by clothing, hair styles, attitudes, models of behavior, and musical preferences.

Thus a subcultural perspective leads us to suggest that patterns of delinquent peer group involvement vary by heavy metal preference. Heavy metal music should have no effect on the delinquent behavior of youth who are isolated from other delinquent youth. In the words of Sutherland's theory of differential asso- ciation, "the principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups" (Shoemaker 1990, p. 152). Therefore, heavy metal music should increase delinquent peer identification and delinquent behavior.

HYPOTHESES

. . h I tionship between heavy We can summarize the above d1scuss10n on t e re a metal and delinquency in terms of the following hypotheses:

h . h f delinquency among 1. A preference for heavy n1etal leads to 1g er rates O 1 . b h vi·or

. d' f de mquent e a · youth, independent of other important m 1cators 0

. 1 b redicting that heavy metal This hypothesis reflects the direct-effects mode Y P f d 1· uent peers, · . · d dent o e mg increases the likelihood of delmquency m epen . t d by those who

· h h h ·s that ts suppor e parental, and school controls. It 1s t e ypot e~I . labels to heavy metal favor censoring or restricting access by attachmg war~ng(

1991 ) suggestion that

n · d 1 ·y to Arnett s d . 1us1c. The direct-effects mo e 1s contrar .d. outlet for re ucmg h · b prov1 mg an eavy metal actually reduces delmquency Y adolescent frustration and anger.

, ,,.

METHOD

The Sample

In prino 19 7, w collected data on the deli~quent conduct of 705 suburban hio-h chool y uth. The community from which we drew our sample is largely affluent.2 Of the population, 95% was classified as White. It should also be tre ed that the vast majority of heavy n1etal fans are White and that they are not onfined to particular urban or suburban parts of the United States (Gross 1990).

We sampled 1,475 youth in public and ri te high chool from school board lists. After receiving the con ent of th mpled uth and their parents, we were able to complete interview with 7 5 uth durina n ninstructional school time. The youth were admini ter d th un f ab ut 30 tudents.

Based on the demographic bar. t ri ti b th chool di trictS and Bureau of Census, we are confid nt th t th , ainple i repre entative of the town's senior high chool popul ti n. Th i tril: uti 11 f grade and a, ~ our sample is within 2% of th di tributi n in th t tal high 'hool popula- ti~n. The percentage of boys and girl in th urv · i , •ithin 1 tX) of th town- ship population.

CHAPTER 5 HEAVY METAL MUS IC PR EFERENCE AND DELINQUENCY

115 --hts and feelings with your (mother) (father);>" Th woug t scale is .65. . e alpha for the p

hJ11en arenta} attaC I performance was measured accord. schoo f h · mg to self-rep d

our measure o t e importance of sch 1 . orte marks (A :::: 5 f :::: O) . onses to three questions: "How impooot to ~o~th was based on com, . d resp . h r ant IS it to -

blfle 1 (b) to have h1g grades, and (c) to co 1 hi you (a) to do well . schoO' . ) Th I h c mp ete gh sch }?" 111 1 == not important . e a p a tor the school . oo . (5 :::: im- portant, importance scale is .69.

Delinquent Peers and Heavy Metal P f re erence

asured delinquent associatio ns by respon h We me . bl ,, R ses to t e state "

. d rarely get m to tro u e. esp onses were cod d . ment: My .fr1en s . ) e on a 5-pomt scale (5 ::::

1 == disagree . agre~ur meas ure of pre feren ce for heavy metal music w b d

estion: " Who is you r favo rite m usical gro up?" Thas ase on responses to the qu . b d . ese groups were classi fi d into categories ase o n a consensus among several k I d . . -e . . f d d now e geable md1- 'duals cons1stmg o a gra uate stu ent, the vice president f 1 h . v1 , d I f h ' 3 o a arge c am of tail record stores, an severa o is staff. Music preference d t re . . a a were coded

soon aft er the survey was admm1stered. Nearly half of all youth (48%) said they preferred musical gro c_ 11· . . . ups tai mg mto

the rock-pop category (e.g., Bonjov1, Genesis, U2, Phil Collins). An add. . 1 " . I . k" 1t10na

19% preferred v1~tage. or c ass1c roe (e.g., The Who, Rush, The Grateful Dead). Less than 1 % said they preferred classical music. About 7% preferred heavy metal groups. The heavy metal category included such groups as Iron Maiden, Motley Criie, Metallica, and AC/DC. 4

Stated music preference predicted the type of music youth purchased. As an incentive for completing the survey, each youth was provided with a coupon re- deemable for a tape or a record in a local chain of stores. 5 When the youth pur- chased the record, the cashier coded the album or tape cassette the youth selected into specific music categories and placed these on the coupons, which were returned to us. Among the youth who said they preferred heavy metal, about half actually purchased a heavy metal album. If preferences were ran- domly related to purchases, we would expect only 7% to have purchased a heavy metal album. We use musical pref ere nee because we have more complete data than if we relied on actual purchases. We assume that preference is related to actual behavior, although it is quite possible that our heavy metal measure does not tap the extent to which youth actually listen to heavy metal mus~c .

. In the following analysis, youth who listed a heavy metal group as their fa- vorite were coded into a heavy metal preference category (1 = heavy metal preference, 0 = others).

Delinquency Our d db k ' youth to indicate . ependent variable, delinquency, was measure Y as mg if du · h ll · ffenses · stolen any- h. ring t e past year they had committed the fo owing O · d $SO over

;S~~ by shoplifting or other ways (worth Jess than $5, b:twe;; ::i:g to them; ' purposely damaged or destroyed property that did n

116 --- . dentally) or beaten someone up. W. . d (not acc1 .d h . h e asked

. lly inJure Li he or she d1 eac act 111 t e past year Cl.., phys1ca h w o1ten . . on a 4 'll

h to estimate O f er. once or twice, 3 to 11 times, and 12 or ... ~ -

yout . · g o r,.ev , . lllor ~ vll!t I (

0-3), cons1st1n h e five items provided the measureme e tith._ sea e . ts on t es nt of ·,1, The sum of potn fficient is .68. de~~ quency.

The alpha coe

ANALYSIS

6 d heavy metal reported significantly more delinqu

Youth who pre erre th preferring heavy metal music, x = 2.5, SD:::: .4~ncy:han other youth (f~r Y?u non-heavy metal music, x = 1.3, SD == .07 '~ ... 46; £ outh pre1ernng ' n - 659 or Y Ol) Among those who preferred heavy metal, 83% report d , F == 2 4 p < . . . . h' h 1 e that

· 'tt d an act of delmquency wit m t e ast year comp d they had conum e . . ' are to

f h W ho preferred other kmds of music.

58% o t ose . d h . . To test for interactions, we standa~~ize t e contmuous predictor variables

(Aik d West 1991; Jaccard, Turnsi, and Wan 1990). By standardizing th

en an l . n· . . . e predictor variables, the problem of mu tico meanty ~ testmg interactions ~ substantially reduced. for example, the high:st correlat~on coefficient between the standardized variables (including interaction terms) is .39, which is substan- tially less than the correlations for unstandardized interaction terms. We checked the pattern of interactions by regressing delinquency on the raw scores sepa- rately for youth preferring heavy metal and non-heavy metal music. The pattern and size of coefficients produced virtually identical estimates, so we feel confi- dent in presenting the unstandardized coefficients based on standardized values.

Also, we examined the pattern of interactions in separate analyses, control- ling for gender and age and type of offense, and found that the results do not differ significantly. Higher order interactions are not presented here to simplify the analysis, but they are available upon request. Furthermore, our hypothesized relationships are not specific to gender or age characteristics.

Table 1 presents the unstandardized regression coefficients and their corre- sponding significant levels for regression models with and without interactions. In .the main effects model without interactions, the significant predictors of delinquency are school marks, school importance, delinquent friends, and heavy metal preference. Once these variables are entered into the equation, the impor: tance of ~ar~ntal attachment and parental supervision is reduced to below the ·~' level of s1gnifica Th d' . ·ted di-. nee. e 1rection of the estimated effects is in the expe<.; . rection · that is · th da 1 . . · are di-l ' 'm ese ta ow social control and delinquent associations . :~gnct ;fi relat~d tho delinquency. Although the effect of heavy metal prefe~ncen~

cant m t e expect d d" . . . f dehnque friends d h . e rrection, tt 1s not as strong as the effects o --1, a

an sc ool 1mpo ta Yc h . ble I~es unique and · . fi r nee. et t e heavy metal preference var1a . 1r11. s1gru cant contr'b . d d }inque1 "'r

N . i ution to the variance in self-reporte e - ext we consider in T: bl 1 . Wh interac

tion effects are enter;d th: e . , mam effects with interactions. end school marks on delin ' mam effects of heavy metal preference an rwo--

quency are above the .05 level of significance . .AIJ1ong the

CHAPTER 5 HEAVY METAL Music PREFERENCE AND DELINQUENCY

'T'able 1. Delinquency Regressed on Social C •

1 d H ontrol Delinquent Peer, an eavy Metal Prefere ' variables, With and Without Interaction T;:s

variable Parental Attachment Parental Supervision

school Marks School Importance Delinquent Friends Heavy Metal Preference

Parental Attachment X Metal

Parental Supervision X Metal

School Marks X Metal School Importance X Metal

Delinquent Friends X Metal

Adjusted R2

Note: Standardized effects are shown.

•p < .01; **p < .OS.

Main Effects -.03

- .10

-.15*

-.25**

.57**

.13*

.19

With Interactions -.08

- .06

-.14

- .27**

.55**

.16

.07

- .23**

.22**

.05

.07

.22

117

way interactions with heavy metal preference, only parental supervision and school marks are significant in their effects on delinquency. The two-way inter- action for heavy metal preference and parental supervision is in the expected di- rection. But the interactive effect of school marks with heavy metal on delinquency is opposite from what was hypothesized. Moreover, contrary to ex- pectations, the interaction between delinquent friends and heavy metal is not sig- nificant. This suggests that the effects of delinquent peers on delinquency are the same for those youth who prefer heavy metal and youth preferring other kinds of music.

Table 2 displays the standardized effects of heavy metal preference on delin- quency for one standard deviation above and below the mean. In interpreting the coefficients in Table 1, recall that all variables are standardized, with a mean of zero and a standard deviation of one. The coefficients for the "main effect " efer to the effect of each variable on delinquency when all other variables are et at zero or their mean value. When all other variables are set at their mean, eavy metal preference has a standardized effect of .16 on delinquency. Th co- fficient for the interaction between heavy metal and parental supervision is .23. This means that for every standard deviation increase in parental supervi-

ion, the effect of heavy metal preference on delinquency decrease by -.2~. en parental supervision and all other independent variables are at the~r

iean, the effect of heavy metal on delinquency is .16. When parental upervt- ion is one standard deviation above it mean, the effect of heavy metal pr fer- nee on delinquency decreases to -.07 (.16 + -.23). Conversely, when parental ontrol is one standard deviation below its mean, the effect of heavy metal on elinquency increases to .39 (.16 + .23).

118 -- t of HeaVY Effec

Table 2. Jinquency .. Metal on Detal superv1s1on When paren ks Are set

Schoof Mar and . Levels at various

Parental sup ervision

Mean-one SD

Mean Mean+ one SD

School marks Mean-one SD

Mean

Mean+ one SD

.39

.16

-.07

-.06

.16

.38

t'~!' ... .

of effects for the interaction between parental h h the above pattern . . . . . Alt oug 1 preference is m the expected drrect1on, this is not . . d heavy meta

superv1S1on an 1 k When the variable school marks is one standard de~ h e for schoo mar s. 1· . t e cas . the effect of heavy metal on de mquency mcreases to . t'on above its mean, . 11· via

1

h h refer heavy metal, it is not the less mte 1gent ones who 38 Among yout w o p

· · · h t delinquent acts. Rather, youth who prefer heavy metal are reportmg t e mos . . I b and have higher rates of delinquency appear to achieve relanve y etter grades in school.

SUMMARY

The results of this analysis provide mixed support for the hypothesized interac- tive effects of heavy metal preference. We found support for the main effects of heavy metal preference on delinquency controlling for other important indica- tors. In partial support of Barich's observation on the relationship between heavy metal _and delinquency, we found support for that part of our hypothe~s that dealt with parental supervision. Youth who preferred heavy metal music an_d were low m parental supervision had higher rates of delinquency. However, t~ was not the case for parental attachment Moreover contrary to Barich's point about intelr · ' . among

h . igence, our data suggest that the rate of delmquency yout preferrmg h I k Wc I eavy meta was not inversely related to school mar s.

e a so found littl fc . . h the effects Of d I. e support or our subcultural hypothesis m t at c. e mquent pe · e,er- ence The ecr erfs Were not significantly different for youth by music phr vy

· uect o deli . . fc · g ea metal music .,.....ay c 11 . nquent peers Is significant and youth pre ernn . hed

. •u 1.a Into a d Ji b d. t' ngu1s with these data fr h e nquent subculture, but it cannot e 1 i ·"act om ot er sub 1 h l ra1 artt1, and delinquent b h . cu tures t at revolve around the cu tu

e av1or of friends.

tt f'l l H At O O Llr QU NCY

119

N U ION

-- with that of others which has considered h . sistent . h . . t .

earch 1s con 1

. ;ng behavior. T e more mteract1ve and d 1tn Our res · exp a1n~.. h · Ylla11 ·

f culture 111 b examined throug a variety of analytic 1 11c rtance o d to e . nl a te h P0 f culture nee t research considered o y the quantity of d c , spects o h presen u1 eJ·

a . Although t e b ultural literature wo d suggest considerin In, 111ques. h f the su c 1. Th g Youth t acts 01uc o f types of de mquent acts. e effects of h quen ' ntext o e

b u] tures in the co b eater for drug offenses rather than the c avy SU C y e gr . . 0111In etal preference ma ured in this article. In either case, culture and 0n

m 1· ency meas d d h sub forms of de inqu . d in attempts to un erstan t e more dyna . '

ld not be ignore . nuc as, culture shou h . delinquent behav10r.

f th and t eir · al f pects o you . hasize the correlation nature o our data and th h . ll e wish to emp . h. at t e

Fina Y, w d t support music censors 1p as a means of preve . . nnot be use o . d d . ntuig

findmgs ca . d ' al research designs are nee e to examme futthe h . Long1tu m . r t e

delinquency. . delinquency. Moreover, our data is confined to = . a1 ffc cts of musIC on . u1US1c caus e e nable to estimate the possible effects of actually listerun·

reference so we were u h fi d' d g P al · n delinquency. However, t e n mgs o stress the impo to heavy met musIC o . . r,

f I ki t h ow aspects of culture may mtluence delinquent behavior

tance o oo ng a ·

NOTES

1. Originally we had quoted directly from t~e Mode~ Criie s~ng. But at the time of publi- cation permission was denied by representatives of Motley Crue. Thus we paraphrase the song that Gross quotes. However, this illustrates part of the difficulty in publishing research on popular forms of culture.

2. Parents of youth surveyed were asked to indicate their occupational class. Fathers are largely in occupational positions of employers or managers (73%). The remaining propor- tion are equally divided among employee and self-employed occupational positions. The proportion of unemployed fathers in the survey is 6%.

3. The following music groups were classified as "heavy metal": AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Dokken, Iron Maiden,Judas Priest, Mahles, Metallica, Motley Criie, Primitive Urges, Scorpions. 4· We realize tha~ there is some debate as to classification of heavy metal groups. Such ghroups can be delineated further into lighter forms of heavy metal (e.g. BonJovi) and

eavy heavy metal (e g M lli ) '\vr ' · h b ·d · ·• eta ca · vve prefer to confine our analysis to what rrug t e

cons1 ered as heavy hea l Als Megadeath Nuclear vy meta.·. 0 , current popular heavy metal groups, such as ular at th '. f Assault, Smc1dal Tendencies and Motorhead may not have been pop-

e time o the s h' h ' 5

R urvey, w IC was conducted in 1987. · ecall the survey was I . .

comp eted m 1987, before the popularity of compact discs.

REFERENCES

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CHAPTER 5 HEAVY METAL Mus

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--. 1990. Common Culture. England: Open University.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What was the purpose of the study? What was the primary question that the authors wished to address in the study?

As discussed by the authors, why might one suspect that preference

r certain forms of music might e related to delinquency?

3. Describe the data collection pro- cess. How were the data that were analyzed in the study collected?

4. According to the authors, ~oes lis- tening to heavy metal m~s1c lead to, or cause, delinquency. Why or

why not?