Control Theory Flashcards
What was the key proposition of Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory?
Delinquency arises when social bond—defined by ongoing relationships—are weak or absent (i.e., variation in strength of social control).
-Loss of control sets an individual free to calculate the costs of crime
Control resides in a person’s ties to conventional society. Name 3 examples/institutions where people are tied to society.
To its adult members (parents, teachers)
Its institutions (family, school)
Its beliefs (laws, normative standards)
Involvement
Participation in conventional activities, including homework, work, sports, school activities, and other recreational pursuits.
Belief
An embrace of the moral validity of the law and of other conventional norms (e.g., school rules).
Attachment
Attachment: emotional closeness (esp to parents).
What did Hirschi (1969) assume about people’s perceptions of crime benefits?
Hirschi never demonstrated empirically that people see the same benefits in crime; he just assumed this to be the case.
Commitment
High educational and occupational aspirations and good grades in school.
Name 4 Social Bonds
Attachment
Commitment
Involvement
Belief
Strengths of Social Bond Theory
Equally applied to all races, unlike criminogenic strains (i.e., racial discrimination; Cloward & Ohlin, 1960).
What are weaknesses of Social Bond Theory?
He failed to explore how social bonds are potentially affected by the larger social forces in American society (Cite).
He failed to explore how the formation of bonds are affected by factors such as changing gender roles, neighborhood disorganization, enduring racial inequality, or the deterioration of the urban industrial economy (Cite).