Criminological Theory In Fx's Fargo

There are several criminological theories in play based on a variety of perspectives as to the causes of criminal behavior. For this assignment, I have chosen to address the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and how it coincides with Travis Hirschi’s Social Control Theory. Based on the elements in Hirschi’s Social Control Theory I will discuss how the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is beneficial in deterring the youths of today from participating in deviant behavior and becoming the criminals of tomorrow. To better the comprehension of their coexistence, I will first discuss the elements of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and the Social Control Theory individually and then combine their individual elements to explain how they can effectively work together to deter crime.

Social control theory and social learning theory are two theories that suggest why deviant behavior is chosen to be acted upon by some individuals and not others. Both take a different stance on the issue. Social control theory suggests people’s behavior is based on their bonds to society, if they have strong bonds to society they conform and if not they have a tendency to act out or become involved in criminal or deviant behavior. Social learning theory suggest that through vicarious learning people learn from observing others and based on what the observe make the choice of whether to copy those actions to obtain desired results or chose not to if

Social control is when a person unites to society that prevents them from violating rules therefore; if the bond weakens, they are free to commit delinquent acts. Travis Hirschi, a sociologist, argued that the social bond a person maintains with society contains the commitment to the pursuit of conventional activities, such as

These two beliefs make the idea of social control make sense, which is understood to be a group that imposes conformity based on what they have set to be identified as normal. To understand the elements that influence deviance and social control, an individual must understand cultural and societal norms, what is deviant behavior, and the actions that transpire to guarantee social control.

Travis Hirschi developed the social control theory in 1969. He proclaimed that the primary reason for the influence delinquency is the lack of social bonds. The social bond theory is composed of four components: attachment, commitment. involvement, and belief. Individuals who do not have these components or who have very weak bonds are prone to delinquency. The first part of Hirschi’s theory is the attachment theory. The attachment theory focuses on a person’s emotional assurance and connection with certain individuals and groups, it also involves an individual’s sensitivity and ability to sympathize with others. Since Harris and Klebold were anti-social and often bullied they had poor relationships with friends or their highs school, or their family leaving them out casted and feeling alone. Harris and Klebold were emotionally committed to one another, are invested in one another spend a great deal of time interacting with one another and they created an attachment to one

Hirschi’s social bond theory differs from his self control theory, as his social bond theory has to do with external factors rather than internal. Social bond theory sees the social control factor as fluid, whereas self-control theory sees it as stagnant. Self control theory has to do with the individual, and their internal beliefs which are “cemented” in their upbringing. Social bond theory sees beliefs as fluid, based on the interactions that occur over an individuals lifespan. The two theories basically see crime as an internal vs external factor, stemming from the individual’s experiences.

The real intellectual roots of social bond theory date back several centuries. However, much interest among crime researchers began during the middle of the 20th century with significant work of Travis Hirschi. After that,

Social control theory is used to help one understand and reduce levels of criminal activity. It is based upon the idea that an individual’s basic belief system, morals, values, commitments and relationships foster a lawful environment. Most individuals who possess these values and beliefs tend to have a level of self-control over their actions and are consequently prepared to remain on the correct side of the law. Furthermore, social control theory is used to examine how society can influence criminal behaviour. It also emphasizes the idea that when an individual is involved and in-touch with their community, they are less likely to commit acts of delinquency.

Social control theory is critical to criminology because of the strength and impacts a relationship or bond between people have. These relationships are influenced and shaped by behavior, personality and the environment they choose to surround themselves in. Direct social control is important for children, having a healthy family relationship and role models create a balance with social control. If a society works together to create positive support for each other it helps control the crime that is once influenced by negative activities and poor role models.

Also known as Hirschi’s Social Bonds theory, suggests that individuals who are closely bonded to social groups within their society are less likely to engage in criminal or deviant behaviours. There are four features of this theory, 1) attachment, 2) commitment, 3) involvement and 4) belief (Hirschi, 1986).

The Social Learning Theory is similar to the Differential Association Theory in the respect that they both depend on the approval of others. It says that "...crime is something learned by normal people as they adapt to other people and the conditions of their environment" (Bohm, 2001: 82). People learn by reinforcement weather it is positive or negative. Growing up Kody began to feel more and more that his mom no longer expressed any love or care for him, but that she only nagged him. After returning home from juvenile hall the greeting that Kody got from his mother wasn't exactly what he wanted. "I knew she meant well, but I wasn't up to it tonight. I wanted to be loved, to be missed, to be wanted, not scolded" (Scott, 1993: 173). The

Interactions theories stress the socially constructed nature of identity and the consequent importance of labeling processes for some persons and groups becoming deviant (Scully, 2012). Control theories stress the significance of controls against deviance. They are often divided into those of social kind; for example when accompanying children to school or keeping tabs on who they are playing with, and those of a situational kind; for example locking our doors at night. Instead of specifying different motives to account for crime or concentrating on the adverse effects of labeling, control theories contend that without rules or laws that draw punishment or retaliation if broken, humans would

The social bond theory states that a person's view towards society determines if that person will be a criminal or not. According to Hirschi there are 5 elements that determine if a person has a good bond or a bad bond with society. They are attachment, commitment, belief, and involvement. When one of these elements is not good then a person is bound to a criminal life. In other words when a person breaks its bonds with society then they start to go against society norms or begin to get involve in deviant acts. All of these play a role in determining the bond a person has with society.

The theoretical stability of social control theory rests upon the existence of four variables which are not only thought to have a correlative relationship amongst each other but are viewed as pivotal perquisites in deterring deviant behavior. These variables are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. Attachment refers to the obligatory connections and expectations that relate the individual to other persons in society. Through the individual's attachments to other people's expectations, norms become internalized by the individual. Commitment refers to the fear of law-breaking behavior and assumes that the organization of society is situated such that the interests of most persons of the given society would be endangered if they decide to engage in criminal and/or deviant acts. Involvement refers to the conventional activities that makes a person too busy to find time and/or the opportunity to engage in deviant behavior. As for Belief, the theory holds that a common, if not, single value system exists in society in which both he law-abiding individual as well as deviant both value. The opinions and impressions that are dependent on constant social reinforcement comprise belief. A person is more likely to conform to social norms when he believes in them. However, there is possibly a wide variability amongst the society as to how much one adheres to the belief that they should obey the norms and rules of society.

In 1969 Travis Hirschi presented four social bonds which promote socialization and conformity. These include attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. He claimed that the stronger these four bonds, the least likely one would become delinquent. Hirschi first assumes that everyone has potential to become delinquent and criminal and it is social controls, not moral values, which maintain law and order. Without controls, he argues, one is free to commit criminal acts.