Social Control Theory Flashcards
4 aspects of the social bond
Attachment: affective ties to other persons
Commitment: pursuit of conventional goals such as school/work
Involvement: busy with conventional activities
Belief: in conventional values, morality and legitimacy of the law.
Social control theory
Proposed that structure and culture of American city was responsible for deviant behaviour
Assumes we are neither good nor evil but have the capacity to do wrong
Why don’t we all break the law?
Explain conformity rather than deviance
We confirm because of social controls
Durkheim, Thrasher, Shaw and McKay and Social Disorganization Theories
Deviance will be highest in disorganized communities that lack social controls
Reiss, Nye and Early Social Control Theories
Stresses the importance of personal controls particularly those provided by the family
Hirschi and the Social Bond Theory
The 4 elements of social bonds: attachment commitment involvement and belief
Gottfredson & Hirschi and the General Theory of Crime
Individuals with low self-control have greater propensity to commit crimes when they have opportunity to do so
Linden and the Control-Differential association theory
Lack of ties to the conventional order will increase the likelihood of associated with deviant peers. These ties will in turn increase the probability of delinquency involvement
Weakenesses of ecological analysis (shaw and McKay)
Problem of ecological fallacy
- the poor as criminals
- bars and hotels etc are often located downtown and attract people from everywhere
- middle class youth may display their delinquency downtown
Concentric Zone Model
- ) Central Business District
- ) Transitional zone (abandoned buildings, deteriorated homes)
- ) working class zone
- ) residential zone
- ) commuter zone (suburbs)
Collective Efficacy theory
What is the level of integration among neighbours
NOT associated with gender, ethnicity, and years in neighbourhood, negatively related to violence
Associated with high ses, home ownership and age
Crime is non randomly distributed
Disorder does not necessarily translate to high levels of violence
Criticisms of the General Theory of Crime
Has limited applicability particularly in developing countries
Context matters
Some developed societies have high rates of crime relative to available opportunity
Childhood patterns of deviance are not necessarily carried into adulthood
Issues with social control theory
Doesn’t explain upper world crime focuses on street crime and juvenile delinquency
Does not account for motivation to deviate
Ignores deterrent effects of law
Doesn’t focus on political and and economic structures that produce crime
Too individualistic
Too conservative
Policy implications of social control theory
Strengthen family bonds, train family to supervise and discipline child
Improve classroom interaction, improve curriculum, assist in transition from school to work
