7 - Social Control Theories Flashcards

Question

Hirschi's Attachment

Answer 1

Attachment to parents, school / teachers, peers. Youths who have formed significant attachment to parents refrain from delinquency because the consequences might jeopardize the relationship. Parent-Child bond forms path thru which conventional ideals and expectations can pass. Bolstered by time spent w/ parent, intimacy of communication w/ parent and affectional identification w/ parent. School: Attachment depends on youth's appreciation for the institution, perception of how he or she is received by teachers / peers, and level of achievement in class. Attachment to PARENTS & SCHOOL overshadows bond formed w/ peers.

Answer 2

Investment in conventional lines of action. Support and participation in social activities that tie individual to society's moral / ethical code. Includes vocational aspirations, educational expectations, and educational aspirations. EX. Tim Onyshuk at Sheridan college -> Iron John program. college students mentor young boys at risk in the community and provide positive role models for them, encourage conventional behaviour among them. Social Bonds are created AND reinforced. Greater the aspiration, more unlikely delinquency becomes [Long Term Committed].

Answer 3

Preoccupation w/ activities that promote the interests of society. Bond is derived from involvement in school-related activities (ex homework) rather than in working-class adult activities (ex. smoking and drinking). The more the youth is involved in adult activities (drink, smoke, date) the more likely delinquency. Busy doing conventional things = no time for deviant acts. EX. Big Brothers / Sisters programs that offer tutoring OR Study Buddy program in EDM increases student involvement in conventional society by pairing uni and college students w/ elementary, junior and highschool students who require help with their studies.

Answer 4

Assent to society's value system. Value system of any society entails respect for its laws and for the people and instructions that enforce them. If young ppl no longer believe laws are fair, bond to society weakens, probability they will commit delinquent acts increases.

Answer 5

Seeks to explain delinquency NOT adult criminal behaviour Concerns attitudes / beliefs / behaviours that while deviant are often characteristic of adolescents. Doesn't clearly define terms such as affective values, beliefs, norms and attitudes. Faults in research study failure to describe chain of events leading to inadequate bonds creating artificial division of unsocialized vs socialized youths suggesting SCT explains WHY delinquency occurs, when it typically explains no more than 50% and only 1 to 2 percent of future delinquency [LOWER EXPLANATORY POWER]. Doesn't really apply to females / didn't explore sex differences in relation to social bonds [ETHIC OF CARE -> many girls raised to care for others. Raised dif, more rules & expectations for girls.]

Answer 6

Explains why some adolescents 'drift' in and out of delinquency. Juveniles sense a moral obligation to be bound by the law, a 'bond' to the law which creates responsibility and control. This remains in place most of the time. When NOT in place, youth may enter into state of drift -> period where they exist in limbo between convention and crime, responding in turn to demands of each (flirting w/ each of them) while postponing commitment and evading decision. Adolescents then justify those delinquent acts with rationalization techniques, defense mechanisms releasing youth from constraints of moral order.

Answer 7

period where youth exist in limbo between convention and crime, responding in turn to demands of each (flirting w/ each of them) while postponing commitment and evading decision.

Answer 8

- Denial of responsibility -> "not my fault", "I was victim of circumstance" - Denial of injury -> "no one got hurt", "they have insurance, what's the problem?" - Appeal to higher loyalties -> "my friends were depending on me, I had to deliver, what was I supposed to do?" - Denial of the victim -> "I did what I had to do, anyone woulda done the same thing", "She was asking for it" - Condemnation of the condemner -> "I bet they've done much worse than what I did"

Answer 9

Developmental, Life Course and General Theories of Crime

Answer 10

Why offending starts (onset), continues (continuance), gets more severe / frequent (escalation), gets less severe / frequent (de-escalation), and stops / ends (desistance). Instead of exclusive focus on one stage of dev, it considers each developmental period in the life-span.

Answer 11

Assumes that the causal relationship between early delinquent offending and later adult deviant behavior is not solely a product of individual characteristics; social events may change some individuals while others continue to offend [TURNING POINTS IN ONE'S LIFE].

Answer 12

Alleges that stability in criminal behaviour resides in the individual rather than in the environment; the social problem of crime is largely medicalized, constituting a psychological model of anti-social behaviour rather than a theory of crime and delinquency.

Answer 13

Assumes offenders have little control over their own behaviour and desires. When immediate gratification outweighs long-term interests, crime occurs. Crime is a function of poor self control. Ineffective child-rearing practices and inadequate socialization -> poor self-control -> either criminal acts OR non-criminal acts that result in harm (smoking, drinking, accidents).

Answer 14

Related to societies with low crime rates, OPPOSITE OF ANOMIE (syn = WITH, nomie = NORMS).