The Sources of Self-Control

The nature of self-control theories, and a possible explanation of what draws individuals to commit crime, stems from research conducted by Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi in 1990. Initially, Hirschi’s early research suggested that sustainment of self-control was a result of family bonds, academics, work, and/or religious and personal reasons. Hirschi had concluded that “the major ‘cause’ of low self-control thus appears to be ineffective child-rearing” (Lilly et al., p. 97)
However, by 1990, Gottfredson and Hirschi had “abandoned the idea that continuing social bonds insulate against illegal involvement in favor of the proposition that self-control, internalized early in life, determines who will fall prey to the seductions of crime” (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball, 2011, pp. 121-122). Gottfredson and Hirschi’s new research suggests that committing crime can be a stress relieving activity that produces euphoric effects for some individuals. They note that crimes such as stealing cars, money, jewelry, and other items with a high monetary value “provides short-term gratification” and “relief from situational aggravations” (Lilly et al., p. 122).
A far more important point, however, is that Gottfredson and Hirschi argued the idea that criminological theorists essentially ignore the facts about “the nature of crime uncovered by empirical research” (Lilly et al., p. 122). They further state that there is a correlation between criminal behavior and negative personality traits such as alcohol, drug, and tobacco use, a disregard for traffic laws (and most laws in general), and perverted sexual behavior.
On a related note, Gottfredson and Hirschi also indicate that criminals generally perform poorly in academics, as well as on the jo...

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...isions will also have a direct correlation regarding social interaction and relations with others. “When this occurs,” they argue, “social bonds can develop, social capital can be produced, and constraints previously absent from an offender’s life can become controlling” (Lilly et al., p. 405).
Laub and Sampson highlight “the importance of informal social ties and bonds to society at all ages across the life course” (Lilly et al., p. 406) — as opposed to Gottfredson and Hirschi’s research, which focuses on only one target demographic — young children. It’s worth noting, however, that social control in an informal context is dependent upon the bonds and ties one develops with others throughout the course of life.

Works Cited

Lilly, J. R., Cullen, F. T., & Ball, R. A. (2011). Criminological theory: Context and consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.