A General Theory Of Crime By Hirschi's A General Theory Of Crime

There are many things in today’s society that unknowingly control our actions and behaviors. Bonds that exist with our surroundings have a profound effect on how we live our lives. Since the 1900’s conformity has been the focus of every society here on Earth. If people are given an idea about what is right or wrong and the outcomes for each decision are clearly shown; the chance for deviance is greatly lessened. This summary will contain history of the social control theory and how its ideas and beliefs have evolved today.

The earliest known definition of the social control theory was taken from E.A. Ross, a sociologist from the 1900’s. He believed that the things people believed in made them conform to their society and understand what might

Imagine a starving homeless human being begging for money to eat, as the hours pass he becomes even hungrier and starts to come up with different strategies to rob a nearby gas station for things he needs at that moment. The homeless man winds up robbing the gas station and being arrested for trying to steal as a result of an impulsive behavior. These types of criminals are different from those who aren’t just trying to survive, however the same situation could apply to anyone. Stealing on impulse because it seems like a good idea at the time, who knows maybe no one will ever find out about it. Hirschi states that, “crime is a function of poor self-control.” He also goes on to explain that the same type of criminals that involve themselves in these types of activity are also known to drink, smoke, and involve themselves in other types of negative behavior. This poor behavior could be caused from poor indirect control a person has over different situations. He/she might not even care what other people think when stealing or vandalizing. It’s also a possibility that the person feels alone and far away from any type of social norm. All of these factors are different and the possibilities are endless as to why a criminal strays from social norms and conformity. The four social bonds Hirschi developed are an essential part to living a prosperous life under the social norms provided by officials. If any of these bonds are absent as a person is raised and throughout the duration of his/her life the chance for deviance and crime greatly increase. Those who are raised to be successful people are only successful in the eyes of the people that created the ideal that how they carried out their life was accepted by their standards, to others they might have all the money in the world but have no life to show for it. These ideas can change at