1 - Introduction: Crime over the life course (L1, KC1, Elder, Hirschi & Gottfredson, Steffenmeier) Flashcards
Definition criminal career (HC)
Small % of offenders account for majority of the crimes.
What do Hirschi & Gottfredson say about age and crime? (HC)
Only age matters. Crime declines with age: maturation. Criminal career and longitundinal research is NOT needed.
What do Steffenmeier et al. say about crime and age? (HC)
They were wondering why crime declines with age. They say this is about social roles and context. Age-crime curve depends on type of crime.
What are critiques about age crime curve? (HC)
Ignores vairations in shape of age-crime curve. E.g. gender, early vs. late starters and crime types.
What do life-course studies research? (HC)
Within-individual differences, so your own changes over time.
What are life course concepts (Elder; HC)
- Trajectories: the whole line, eg high school to uni
- Transitions: a change, normal stuff that happens
- Turning points: bigger and serious changes
Which three effects do you have with life course concepts? (HC)
- Age effects: as people get older, their behavior change; Hirschi)
- Period effects: general effect, effect in time period that hits everyone (in a country)
- Cohort effects: birth cohort
What are the four aspects of life course research? (Elder?; HC)
- Social historical time and place: when and where you are born matters, includes cohort, historical context and social change
- Human agency: capacity to make own choices
- Linked lives: individuals are linked to others
- Timing: age at which events occur affects trajectories and transitions
Definition Cumulative continuity (HC)
Snowball effect. Past behavior does effect future behavior. Causal effect.
Definition Self-selection (HC)
(Personal) traits explain behavior, comes from genes and environment. people select experiences/groups based on internal trait. Komt overeen met wat Hirschi zegt.
What are four criminal career dimensions? (KC)
- Participation: people who engage in crime during their life course vs those who do not
- Frequency: rate of activity, number of offences
- Seriousness: minor vs serious
- Duration: length in time of criminal activity or career
Definition Lambda (KC)
Rate of activity.
What does the article of Elder states?
Sociologists had to make use of life histories and future trajectories of individuals and groups, emphasizing the need for longitudinal approach to life history. Purpose of article is trace evolution of life course study.
Why is it important to look at social and cultural ecologies? (Elder)
Mixture of various immigrant groups with general population gave greater visilibity.
Defintion concept Social pathways (Elder)
Trajectories of education and work, family and residences that are followed by individual groups through society. Shaped by historical foces and often structured by social institutions.
Definition concept Trajectories (Elder)
Made up of transitions, or changes in state or role. E.g. leaving parental home, becoming a parent, retiring. Long durations enhance behavioral stability through acquired obligations and vested interests.
Definition concept Turning Points (Elder)
Substantial change in direction of one’s life, subjective or objective. May involve returning to school during midlife. Most involve work issues.
Definition concept Time (Elder)
Locating people in cohorts by birth year provide precise historical placements. Cohorts thereby link age and historical time. Historical changes often have different implications for people at different ages.
What are the five paradigmatic principles in life course theory? (Elder)
- Principle of life-span development
- Principle of agency
- Principle of time and place
- Principle of timing
- Principle of linked lives
What does the principle of life-span development mean? (Elder)
Human development and aging are lifelong processes.
What does the principle of agency mean? (Elder)
Individuals construct their own life course through the choices and actions they take within the opportunities and constraint of history and social circumstance. E.g. continuing with study??
What does the principle of time and place mean? (Elder)
The life course of individuals is embedded and shaped by the historical times and places they experience over their lifetime. E.g. COVID period?
What does the principle of timing mean? (Elder)
The developmental antecedents and consequences of life transitions, events, and behavioral patterns vary according to their timing in a person’s life. E.g. moving together with boyfriend at 20?
The way our lives change and how we react to these changes can be different based on when they occur.
What does the principle of linked lives mean? (Elder)
Lives are lived interdependently and socio-historical influences are expressed through this network of shared relationships. our lives are shaped by the people around us and the broader social and historical context in which we live.