More handpicked essays just for you.
Social factors causing criminal behavior
Sociological theories of criminal behavior
Psychological, sociological and biological theories of crime
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In this essay I will first explain what a Social Control Theory is and how Hirschi developed his theory ‘Social Bond’ from this, I will also discuss further development of his theory with Gottfredson in a ‘General Theory of Crime’. I will then discuss and consider the criticisms of both theories before providing my own conclusion, including why his theory is still relevant in today’s society.
Control theories take on a different approach to other previous theories such as….. Most theorists ask ‘why someone commits a crime’ whilst control theories look at why most people chose not to commit crime. Control theorists believe it is easier to explain why people commit crimes, as all humans are prone to weakness, making them unable to resist temptation which is why their centre of attention is on the controlling factors that could be absent in a criminal, which is usually due to society. For this reason they name it ‘Social Control Theory’.
Travis Hirschi first introduced his control theory ‘The Social Bond Theory’ in Causes of Delinquency in 1969. In social bond theory Hirschi looked at four social fundamentals which affected the probability of either conforming or deviating from social norms set by society. The four fundamentals were attachment, commitment, involvement and belief which were considered relevant if weak or broken.
The first bond, attachment, is one of the strongest social bonds people need to experience as this involves the amount of attachment a person has to others. If a person has more attachment to others he is less likely to deviate. Hirschi viewed parents, schools and peers as important social bonds for people. Hirschi explained that family bonds were important, if positive as this would stop a child deviatin...
... middle of paper ...
...his would appeal to those who had a low self control as they would have a low intelligence. Finally, crime brings suffering and pain to others, such as theft or assault. Because those who have low-self control are insensitive towards others this would not affect their actions.
In conclusion, Hirschi’s theory can be considered both accurate and inaccurate in today’s society. Although the majority of people who have weak social bonds do turn to crime there is still a small majority that will take a different path in their life. For example, if a child was to be brought up in a home where drugs are either bought, sold or used then the child is more likely to become involved with drugs when they are older, however, another child may take the total opposite approach as they have seen the complications that come with drugs and do not wish to take the same path.
Control theory states that all people are potential deviants and that social bonds determine the outcome. If the family has strong social bond, such as the Simpson’s, though they have problems they are able to overcome them remain a loving family. The strong bonded family keeps their bonds strong by a healthy mix of parenting, discipline, and time spent together. On the contrary the family that has weak social bonds, the submissive parent and son, often have deviant children who defy them. These weak social bonds accumulate through lack of parenting and not a lot of social interaction with each
The central element of calculation involves a cost benefit analysis: Pleasure versus Pain, (5) Choice, with all other conditions equal, will be directed towards the maximization of individual pleasure, (6) Choice can be controlled through the perception and understanding of the potential pain or punishment that will follow an act judged to be in violation of the social good, the social contract, (7) The state is responsible for maintaining order and preserving the common good through a system of laws (this system is the embodiment of the social contract), (8) The Swiftness, Severity, and Certainty of punishment are the key elements in understanding a law's ability to control human behavior. Classical theory, however, dominated thinking about deviance for only a short time. Positivist research on the external (social, psychological, and biological) "causes" of crime focused attention on the factors that... ... middle of paper ... ...
The two theories I have decided to merge are Agnew’s General Strain Theory and Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory. I picked General Strain Theory because it does a good job at discussing some of the things that can trigger the release of a person’s negative emotions which in turn may lead to deviant behavior. I also decided to write about Social Bond Theory because it describes some of the factors that keep people from committing crime. Both of the theories have strengths and weaknesses individually, but when merged they help fill in each other’s gaps. (Agnew, 2011; Hirschi, 2011) +1 (888) 295-7904
Wiatrowski, M.D., Griswold, D.B., & Roberts, M.K. (1981). Social control theory and delinquency. American Sociological Review, 46(5), 525-541.
This theory assumes that “individuals generally decide on their behavior on the basis of opportunities, costs, and benefits” (Seddig, 2015, p. 3). After analyzing the interview, the 25-year-old man depicts weak bonds with school and with his father, which essentially are the main pillars for this theory. When an adolescent is not doing well academically, their chances of being involved in delinquent behavior increase. Travis Hirshi argued that people were kept in check by their social bonds or attachments to society. For example, if an adolescent does not have interest in going to school or learning, the most probable outcome is for the dropout rates to increase. These individuals lack commitment in pursuing an education, a promising job and refuse to be involved in sports or religious activities. Being committed and involved “constitutes a temporal boundary for delinquent involvement, because it simply limits the opportunities to commit delinquent acts” (Seddig, 2015, p. 3). With time, as social bonds weaken, interest in conventional values decrease. It can be assumed that because of this, he chose to get a fake I.D. at the age of 14 to start working in order to support his delinquent activities. He had a greater interest in money rather than on an education. Clearly, he was detached from an educational experience, which could be a
Travis Hirschi presented a social bonding theory in 1969. The main idea of the social bonding theory is that each and every individual has a drive to act in selfish and even aggressive ways that might possibly lead to criminal behavior. Social bonding theory is somewhat have similarities with the Durkheim theory that “we are all animals, and thus naturally capable of committing criminal acts” (Tibbetts, 2012, p. 162). However, the stronger a person is bonded to the conventional society, for example, family, schools, communities, the less prone a person is to be involved in criminal activity. The great example of this would be the serial killer Nannie Doss. Since early age she did not have any bonds either to her family with an abusive father or to community she lived in. Most of the time during her childhood she was isolated from any social interactions with her schoolmates or friends.
Control Theory focuses on the question, “why do people conform?”. This theory argues that it is easier to satisfy an individual’s needs and wants through crime, but most people still don’t commit illegal acts. The reason for this is because of the restraints placed on people that stop them from breaking the law. But obviously, some people’s restraints exist more than others’. Some people feel freer to engage on crime. There are three major things that stop people from participating in deviant criminal activities: direct control, stake in conformity, and internal control. Jeffrey Dahmer lacked all
...much and they are not aware of what they are doing, and make poor decisions. So, the level of self control individuals can dictate their criminal behavior.
The positivist view of deviance places emphasis on individual's behavior being manipulated by outside forces (Goode, 2007, p. 23). Individual's are unable to contend with these outside forces which are beyond their control. Criminals and other deviants are created through biological defects which were responsible for their behavior, as it was something inherently organic and passed on through birth. The self-control theory of crime was developed by Travis Hirshi and Michael Gottfredson, two famous criminologists. Self-control theory, also known as the General Theory of crime, portrays deviance as stemming from the criminal's lack of ...
Sampson, R., & Laub, J. (1990). Crime and Deviance over the Life course: the salience of adult social bonds. American Sociological Review, 55(5), 609-627.
I would like to look first at “The Choice Theory”. The first explanations of wrongdoing and delinquency held that the child him/her self’s behavior was a matter of choice. The classical view tells us that the decision to violate the law comes from the youth carefully weighting out the benefits and cost of the criminal behavior. According to the classical vie, youths who decide to become a drug dealer weigh ad compare the possible benefits, such as cash to buy cars, clothes, and other luxury items; knowing that the potential penalties are being arrested and possibly staying in a juvenile facility. Therefore if the youth thinks they are less likely to get caught or they see that the punishment for getting caught is minimal they are more likely to go forth and break the law. Thus being said, CHOICE is huge for there is always an option and you can dictate your path.
Criminals come from all walks of life. Some are wealthy business owners while others are poverty-stricken and homeless. Some are 60 years old while others are 16. What makes people decide to become a criminal? Why does one person who gets arrested and faces punishment learn from the mistake and does nothing illegal again while others become prison regulars? Criminological theory seeks to answer these questions in an effort to mold societal influence and implement programs to deter people from committing crimes. One such theory is the classical theory. Even though some believe that crime is based mainly on social influencers like in the differential association theory, the classical theory is more accurate because it suggests that each person makes the choice to commit a crime based on risk versus reward and because most intentional criminal acts pay some sort of benefit, rarely are they seen as not profitable.
The importance of integrated theory relies on these social institutions to create a theory of the causes criminal behavior in the sense that it links to the family who is bonded to the offender in which he learn most of his behaviors from due to lack of guidance or support of his or her goals while growing up. This is where he attaches himself to peers to seek the sense of feeling important within society; this is where the child feels valued by doing crazy things with his friends who value him, but don’t have his best interest in mind. This type of social control illustrates that the individual takes into account the opinion of others to help guide his or her decision in life, which could be right or wrong therefore, it is important to enhance this individual with positive guidance with support by their
Social Control Theory presumes that people will naturally commit crime if there were left to their own devices (i.e. no laws in society) and people do not commit crimes because of certain controlling forces, such as social bonds that hold individuals back partaking on their anti social behavior (Bell, 2011). Examples of controlling forces are family, school, peers, and the law. Young people who are t... ... middle of paper ... ... nd delinquent are more likely to partake in committing criminal behavior (Shaefer and Haaland, 2011, p.155-156).
In conclusion, Social Bond Theory has been around for many years and has stood the test of time. The four bonds, attachment, involvement, commitment and belief are all held by individuals and play a major part in determining criminality. While it does not describe deviance perfectly, it does match what is believed to be the basic human view of why people become criminals. The view of Social Bond Theory is that all humans are basically evil and that deviance is a natural process. It is just a matter of how weak or strong these bonds are that either promotes, or deters deviance.