STUDENT OFFENSES AND FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR FORMATION

SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 137 STUDENT OFFENSES AND FACTORS INFLUENCING THEIR FORMATION B.B. Baijanov Independent Researcher, Center for Research in Higher Education Development https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17808811 Abstract. The article discusses the student period, the socio-psychological characteristics of student communities, analysis of scientific theories in this field, as well as the manifestations, motives, and factors behind student offenses. In particular, the study examines social, psychological, economic, and information-media influences on such behaviors. Keywords: student life, student community, offense, socio-psychological environment, motive, factor, socio-economic, pedagogical, psychological, information-media factors. Introduction. At present time in order to increase the effectiveness of spiritual and educational activities in higher education institutions, it is advisable to develop professional competence among future specialists based on innovative approaches. This should be harmonized with national values and aimed at fostering patriotism and a strong civic stance, ensuring the integrity of educational and upbringing processes. The effective implementation of such processes requires the design of pedagogical activities that prioritize the psychological-pedagogical and social characteristics of the student period. Similarly, improving mechanisms for preventing offenses among students also requires proper planning of preventive measures, taking into account the specific characteristics of student life. Literature Review. In research, students are defined as a social group preparing to perform roles related to social life and professional production based on established rules and specialized programs in both material and spiritual spheres. Student life as an independent age and sociopsychological category began to be recognized in the 1960s by the psychologist B.G. Ananyev. According to the scholar, this period is characterized by the complex development of an individual’s intellect. B.G. Ananyev considers the life stage from ages 17 to 25 to be crucial as the final period of personal formation and the main phase of professional development. According to him, by age 17, a person creates favorable subjective conditions for acquiring self-education skills [1]. According to I.A. Zimnyaya, student life represents a socially oriented group with a professional focus and a stable attitude toward a future career. The author emphasizes that there is a direct relationship between a student’s understanding of their future profession and their attitude toward education: if a student lacks sufficient knowledge of their specialty, their motivation for studying tends to be low [3]. I.S. Kon describes this period as one in which an individual’s distinctiveness is formed and their unique characteristics become evident. During this stage, the scope of roles they perform in social activities expands, and their need for close relationships and mutual understanding increases [4]. Y.N. Kulyutkin, in his work Psychology of Adult Learning, states that adulthood begins with a person’s social and professional self-awareness. The author considers the ages 17–22 as a crisis period. This is because at this age, a young person actively experiments with various “adult” roles, sometimes chooses or changes their profession, and tries to adapt to a new lifestyle [5]. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 138 Psychologist E. Goziev, in his studies, explains that the student phase constitutes the second stage of adolescence, covering ages 17-22 (25). This period is characterized by several unique features and contradictions [7]. Therefore, adolescence begins with the development of a person’s social and professional identity. During this stage, the young individual experiences a kind of psychological crisis or conflict. In particular, they try to adopt and imitate various adult roles at high speed (regardless of whether they like them or not), and gradually adapt to new aspects of adult life. The transition to adulthood generates inner contradictions linked to the process of personal maturation. Research Methodology. Various specialists over different periods have conducted research on how juvenile delinquency develops and how an unhealthy socio-psychological environment within the family contributes to this process. It is therefore appropriate to review the opinions of scholars who have studied this issue. Supporters of the biological approach, such as Cesare Lombroso (1836–1909), founder of the anthropological school, viewed criminal behavior as linked to biological characteristics that incline individuals to commit crime. Lombroso believed that a criminal has innate, unchangeable biological traits that predispose them to commit crimes [2], and he further promoted the genetic theory. According to this view, a criminal’s child will be born with criminal tendencies and will become a criminal. Auguste Comte and his followers F. List (Germany), E. Ferri (Italy), M.V. Dukhovny, I.Y. Fonitsky, and S.V. Pozdnishev (Russia) should also be mentioned. Although these scholars did not completely reject biological factors, they argued that criminal behavior is primarily conditioned by social factors and promoted their ideas accordingly. According to F.G. Uglov’s research, among 1,500 developmentally delayed children, 2% were born to mothers who did not use narcotics, 9% to mothers who consumed alcohol, and 74% to mothers who heavily used narcotic substances. He stressed that criminal behavior is not inherited genetically. A child is not born a criminal. Crime may arise due to the surrounding environment, relationships (with parents, peers, or adults), and the influence of education and upbringing. Its emergence may also be caused by personal interests, needs, and weak willpower [3]. According to M.O. Kamilova and F.K. Iskandjanova, features typical of adolescence such as emotional instability, impulsiveness, excitability, and the inability to properly assess conflict situations, as well as a strong desire to quickly implement their wishes and intentions, may lead to the formation of unlawful behavioral intentions. G.B. Shoumarov, in his approach, states that an unhealthy psychological atmosphere in the family can cause not only conflicts between spouses, but also significant changes in the mental state and behavior of children. Based on the analyses, while partially agreeing with the views of scholars, we believe that the formation of such individuals is influenced by both external (objective) and internal (subjective) factors. The tendency of minors to commit unlawful acts is often shaped under the influence of external social environments. We also agree with the view that unlawful behavior can only take root in an unfavorable socio-economic and moral-ethical setting. Within a student group, interpersonal relationships (emotional and businesslike), group role distribution, the encouragement of leaders, and similar dynamic processes occur. All these group processes significantly influence the personality of a student, their educational activity, the success of their professional development, and their behavior. The specific features of the educational process in higher education institutions create important opportunities for students to communicate with other social groups (whether formal or informal). Another key feature of the student period is the rapid development of social maturity. SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 139 Social maturity (adulthood) requires an individual to develop intellectual abilities as well as be prepared to assume various roles in social life—forming a family, raising children, participating in socially beneficial work, and taking responsibility in a profession. The American researcher and psychologist Erik Erikson, in his theoretical analyses about the influence of social factors on personality development, describes the student age period as follows: age 20 is the transition stage from youth to early adulthood. At this stage, young individuals strive to define themselves both professionally and personally. According to Erikson’s theory, adolescence is centered around the crisis of identity formation. This crisis consists of social and personal choices, self-understanding, and the process of forming oneself as a distinct individual. If a young person fails to successfully resolve these developmental tasks, an unhealthy (maladaptive) identity may emerge. In such cases, development may proceed in four main directions: 1. Avoidance of psychological intimacy – a person avoids forming deep personal relationships with others and fears emotional closeness. 2. Loss of time perspective – an inability to make life plans, difficulty imagining the future, fear of adulthood and change. 3. Loss of productivity and creativity – difficulty mobilizing internal resources, inability to focus on meaningful activities. 4. Formation of a “negative identity” – refusal of positive identity, identifying oneself with negative or deviant roles (e.g., offender, delinquent person) [8]. When discussing the psychology of student delinquency, researchers put forward several theories. According to psychologist Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, a person acquires behavior through observation, imitation, and modeling. If unlawful behavior is accepted as normal in the surrounding environment, young people may automatically internalize this model [2]. That is, in natural processes of social interaction, peer relationships and reference groups become dominant. Researchers note that peer influence plays a leading role in adolescent drug use. Although parental and peer influences differ across various areas, in the case of illegal substance use, peer influence is significantly stronger. Even in later adolescence, parental attitudes and behavior have less impact compared to the influence of peers or older siblings. The primary approach of this socialization model is that individuals tend to imitate their peers, especially if their relationships are close and constant. Adolescents view the norms accepted within these groups as dominant and quickly internalize them. In our view, understanding such theoretical approaches not only reveals the specific characteristics of student delinquency but also provides the basis for preventive measures. These theories highlight the influence of interpersonal relations, the potential impact of peer-to-peer interaction, and the importance of developing effective prevention strategies. Regarding this issue, the pedagogue-scholar N. Egamberdiyeva emphasizes the following: upbringing should not be understood solely as a relationship between the educator and the learner. It is implemented not only within a broad social sphere, but by its nature, it is a social phenomenon that encompasses all socio-economic structures. Upbringing is organized in order to ensure life and its continuity. Based on this, it can be said that the social factors of the educational process include: the socio-economic and socio-cultural conditions of society; the interconnectedness of upbringing with social conditions; the fact that upbringing serves as a factor of managing, controlling, and socializing social reality; upbringing as a means of forming socially significant SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 140 behavior patterns; education through small (micro environment), medium (meso environment) and large (macro environment) groups and communities, etc. [9]. Analysis and Results. The results of the research show that in examining the factors influencing the formation of student delinquency in higher educational institutions, it is necessary to rely on the following: Socio-economic factors. Analysis of the types of student offenses and the causes leading to them shows that the highest percentage of motives are interest in earning easy money (27.7%) and issues related to financial difficulties (15.4%). At the same time, an unhealthy atmosphere and conflicts within the family or peer groups were identified in the majority (57.2%) of students prone to delinquency. This indicates that disruption in socialization processes negatively affects the formation of deviant behavior and student delinquency. Article 3 of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated September 29, 2010, “On the Prevention of Neglect and Delinquency Among Minors” states the following definition of a socially dangerous minor: “a minor whose neglect or lack of supervision creates a threat to his/her life or health, or whose living conditions fail to meet the requirements of maintenance, upbringing, or education, or who is committing offenses or other antisocial acts” [6]. Although the concepts are described in Article 3 of this law, it can be concluded that negative conditions created by some parents or guardians within the family contribute to the development of antisocial (deviant) behavior leading to juvenile delinquency. Individual-psychological factors. According to pedagogical-psychological scholars, as a person grows older, the number of stimuli causing emotional arousal increases. If adults, like children, were to react to every stimulus, they would not survive due to excessive emotional strain and instability. Adults are protected by internal mechanisms such as selective response to external influences, self-control, and inhibition. In addition, the need of students to assert themselves, peer influence, stress, and internal tension can also lead to delinquent behavior. Educational Environment. Weakness in educational and upbringing activities within educational institutions, the ineffectiveness of the tutoring system, and the neglect of moral education can encourage delinquency. The growing distance between teachers and students, and the lack of a culture of understanding and listening to learners contribute to the formation of negative attitudes toward higher education institutions. Additionally, insufficient organization of preventive work against delinquency within higher education institutions such as involving students, their parents or legal guardians in prevention, identifying causes and enabling conditions of offenses, eliminating them, and establishing cooperation with other institutions responsible for prevention also forms a core part of the problem. Information-Media Factor. This includes violent content on the Internet and the romanticization of illegal activities (e.g., films about the lives of criminals), which negatively affects the behavior of young people. The portrayal of “anti-hero” figures in media often creates an urge for imitation among youth. In our opinion, even if a family provides all necessary conditions for the upbringing of minors, delinquency may arise due to antisocial behaviors influenced by social media platforms such as Instagram, Telegram, etc. Various online phenomena like “Blue Whale,” “Silent House,” “Winx,” and “Run or Die” (games that lure teenagers and often SCIENCE AND INNOVATION INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL VOLUME 4 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2025 ISSN: 2181-3337 | SCIENTISTS.UZ 141 end with suicidal outcomes) have become widespread and debated in these networks, and can attract minors into dangerous behavior. Conclusion and Recommendations. In conclusion, not only an unhealthy socialpsychological atmosphere in the family, but also the other factors mentioned above serve as major causes for violence, as well as for committing serious and extremely serious crimes among minors and youth. Engaging in youth upbringing and their moral and ethical development is not only the responsibility of parents or guardians, but also one of the greatest tasks and goals faced by the state and society. Therefore, based on the above analysis, we may conclude that the formation of student delinquency is a complex process influenced by behavior and environment. Its effective prevention requires the collaborative pedagogical influence of higher education institutions and other social institutions. REFERENCES 1. Ananiev, B. G. (2010). Man as an object of cognition]. Saint Petersburg: Piter. P.288. 2. Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action. Saddle River, NJ. 3. Zimnyaya, I. A. (2000). Educational Psychology]. Moscow: Logos.P. 385. 4. Kon, I. S. (1989). Psychology of Early Adolescence]. Moscow. P.300. 5. Kuliutkin, Yu. N. (2005). Psychology of Adult Learning. Moscow: 128 p. 6. Musurmonova, O. (1995). Forms and Methods of Developing the Moral Culture of Senior School Students. Tashkent: P.165. 7. Goziev, E. (1994). Psychology: Developmental Psychology] Tashkent. P.224. 8. Erikson, E. (1996). Identity: Youth and Crisis]. Moscow: Progress Publishers. P. 53. 9. Parsons, T. (1951). The Social System. Free Press: New York. 10. Egamberdieva, N. (2012). Educational Technology for Forming a Highly Moral Personality]. Tashkent. P.364.