Social bonds are comprised under the occurrences of attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. Travis Hirschi named these four elements to propose a theory based on the assumption that acts of delinquent behavior are less likely to arise, when there is strength in social bonds. Attachment corresponds to the social binding towards family, friends, and institutions. It is the most important bond because these affective ties will help prevent deviant behavior by learning what is socially acceptable, and what is not. The second bond, commitment, deals with the aspiration for education and the attainment of goals. Individuals pursue well-defined goals for a rewarding future in the long run. The third bond, involvement, refers to an individual’s participation through social activity, which may lead towards “socially valued success and status objectives”. (Michael D. Wiatrowski, David B. Griswold and Mary K. Roberts, p. 525) Whether it is a job, a club, volunteer position, or simply a sport an individual may partake in, they may identify themselves within the association they serve. Lastly, the fourth bond, which is belief, relates to an individual’s moral validity upon life and social situations. If people feel less concerned about rules, the more likely they are to break those rules and commit delinquent behavior as a result. Subsequently, these social bonds are essential towards society because they influence good behavior through programs and institutions such as Building Bridges and the California State University Academic Enrichment Camp, which continue to serve the elements of the social bond theory.
Building Bridges is a three-day, youth human relations camp, targeting high school students, which emphasize issu...
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...ol, the individual becomes free to engage in criminal or deviant activity. Attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief are elements that are shared among all types of situations that ultimately have the effect on the lives that are led.
Works Cited
Academic Enrichment Camp. (n.d.). Academic Enrichment Camp. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.csulb.edu/programs/summer-camps/academic/
Cacej.Org. (n.d.). Building Bridges Youth Human Relations Camp. Retrieved November 5, 2013, from http://www.cacej.org/building-bridges-with-youth-human-relations.html
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Michael D. Wiatrowski, David B. Griswold and Mary K. Roberts American Sociological Review, Vol. 46, No. 5 (Oct., 1981), pp. 525-541. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
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People who value commitment would not risk it by giving in to crime. Children commit to doing things that they don’t like to do because they want their parent’s approval. So, attachment is an important basis for an individual to succeed and commit to a noncriminal life. Involvement is the third element and it is a direct result of commitment. This is the concrete time spent in noncriminal activities.
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generalizable to the population because the social bonds solely emphasized on typical white families. However, the psychodynamic theory managed to address the weaknesses of the social bond theory because it’s generalizable towards the population to a greater extent. For instance, psychodynamic theory interventions were tested on the African population in Nigeria who were adolescents from the lower class as these psychodynamic interventions were easy to conduct among populations in order to draw inferences (Taiwo & Osinowo, 2011, pp. 627-629).
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The four bonds are imperative in determining a person’s conformity or deviance to society. When bonds are weak, Hirschi saw that a person becomes “free” to engage in delinquency (Williams & McShane, 2010). The first bond, which is attachment, deals with the relationship one has with parents, friends or school and clubs. Attachment is the most important bond because a strong tie to parents or institutions will help prevent deviance. Attachment is also important because the other bonds are thought to build on attachment.
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