Michael Gottfredson's Self-Control Theory: The General Theory Of Crime

Individuals with strong and stable attachments to others within society, such as family, friends and community institutions are presumed to be less likely to violate social norms, because such behaviour would distress these respective attachments (Reginald et al, 1995). Second, is commitment, meaning having an individual investment in social activities. For example, an individual who has invested time, energy and resources into conforming to social norms, such as educational and career goals, is less likely to become involved in a gang (Goodwill 2009). In particular, since they have invested heavily in conforming these individuals have more to lose than those who have not invested in their future in a conforming fashion. (Reginald et al, 1995). Third, is involvement, which Hirschi utilized in order to illustrate that when large amounts of structured time are invested in socially approved activities, such as sports or work, the time for available deviance is drastically reduced (Reginald et al, 1995). Specifically, active engagement in conventional endeavors acts as a powerful protective factor against delinquency (Huebner and Betts, 2002). Hirschi’s final element of social bonding is belief. This pertains to an actor’s level of belief in the moral validity of shared social values and norms (Reginald et al, 1995). When an individual strongly believes in the conventional norms they are less likely to deviate from

Control Theory is the theory of support. This theory demonstrates an individual's social bonds in relation to their performance. Since certain bonds are stronger in certain kinds of lifestyles the affects will be different in all situations. Control theorists believe “in the rationality of the criminal act that the individual behaves in a criminal manner for ordinary reasons, and this behavior arises out of the person’s own free will” (Moyer, 2001, 133). However, deviant behavior is prevalent in today’s society. It is a major problem concerning adolescents all across the world. This theory carries serious paternalistic roles.

While most theories in criminology focus on the reasons and factors why people commit deviance, the social control theory focuses on the reasons why people conform to what is excecpted from society. The social control theory tends to revolve around questions such as why isn’t everyone motivated to commit acts of deviance as well as why individuals conform. The basic premise of the social control theory is that criminality results when an individual’s bond to society is weakened or broken. There are four social bonds in the social control theory, which are attachment, committment, belief and involvement. Travis Hirschi agrued that humans are like animals, they can be controlled but can be governed by conditioned instincts. In other words,

The two theories I have decided to merge are Agnew’s General Strain Theory and Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory. I picked General Strain Theory because it does a good job at discussing some of the things that can trigger the release of a person’s negative emotions which in turn may lead to deviant behavior. I also decided to write about Social Bond Theory because it describes some of the factors that keep people from committing crime. Both of the theories have strengths and weaknesses individually, but when merged they help fill in each other’s gaps. (Agnew, 2011; Hirschi, 2011) +1 (888) 295-7904

This theory has a different focus than typical theories; in this theory, conformity is emphasized, specifically, with the focus being on the reasoning behind why people conform and obey society’s rules, instead of why people deviate from norms. This theory operates under the basic assumption that delinquent behavior occurs because of a person’s bond or tie to society being weak or non-existent. There are four elements that make up this bond: attachment to others, commitment, involvement, and belief. Thus, the stronger the bond’s element, the less likely a person is going to engage in crime; likewise, the weaker the element of the bond is, the more likely a person is going to commit crime. Also, all four identified elements are said to be connected and interdependent, so a weakness in one element will more than likely lead to weaknesses in the other elements. In other words, these elements control a person’s level of conformity; crime control stems from one’s ties to conventional society. This theory also assumes that people are born naturally selfish; however, this is not a born tendency or trait. Rather, this means that the motivation for crime in society is evenly spread out since everyone has the same inclination for crime. Similarly, under this theory, the way people are controlled by society through these bonds is

Control theory, Anomie theory and Strain theory provide very different explanations of why people commit crimes based upon assumptions about how humans function. Control theory suggests that humans are naturally drawn to breaking the law. Humans are driven to fulfill their needs and desires. Crime provides one method by which humans can reach their goals. Control theorists would thus ask why everyone does not turn to crime to meet their wants and needs. The question shifts from the typical why do people commit crime to why do people not commit crime (Cullen and Agnew, 2011). Hirschi suggest that crime and social bonds are linked, such that crime occurs in absence of a strong social bond. The four elements of the social bonds are

Social and personal Control, by Reiss suggest that deviant behavior is based on the bond

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.

Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) control theory regards parental controls as key in developing self-control, which is related to crime. People who show low self-control tend to live in the here and now, whereas those who have better self-control like to defer gratification. For example, criminal acts provide excitement, have few long-term benefits, and require little preparation. Moreover, they cause pain to their victims, which is correlated to being self-centered and insensitive – both qualities of people with low self-control.

Television presents fast-paced information that may result in shorten attention spans creating impulsive behaviour in youth that is in a constant need of stimuli because it has usually always given to them through media (Kirsh, 2010). This has a long-term effect on educational outcomes by leading to students having a difficult time paying attention in an environment, such as a classroom that has fewer stimuli. This will impede a youths learning capability that has been affected by having low self-control and high risk-taking behaviours (Baron, 2003; Forde, 1997; Kirsh, 2010). This is the example of Gottfredson and Hirshi’s general theory of crime that argues that low self-control is the reason that youth engage in criminal activity due to being

Power-control theory sets out to explain the gender differences in delinquency based on the foundation of family structure, as well as the parental controls exercised on boys versus girls. Hagan’s theory can also be connected to Hisrchi’s theory of Self-Control. Hirschi’s theory involves a preference for taking risks due to a lack of self-control. Second, this self-control is established by the nature of parenting in the family. While Hirschi focused on parenting being either

This article examines the assertion that morality is the most important factor that explains why crime, self-control, and deterrence are the major factors in the understanding criminal behavior only at a low level of morality. Situational Action Theory focuses on the acts that reach moral rules defined by law. This also outlines that an individual’s choice of action depends on the alternative action in any given situation. SAT also outlines the self-control is not likely to influence the choices between the alternative actions for those which high and low levels of morality. Previous research showed that low self-control is related to deviance. The methods the researchers used was getting a sample from youth population that is more likely

Travis Hirschi believed that everyone is capable of committing crimes because humans have an “id” personality. Having an “id” personality means that that everyone is selfish, greedy, and are driven to commit crimes because individuals want immediate gratification (Cullen et al., 2014). In 1969, Hirschi identified four social bonds, which were attachments, commitment, involvement, and belief. These social bonds are what prevent the majority of people from engaging in illegal acts. Attachment is often defined as an emotional connection to other individuals such as parents, teachers, and friends. According to Hirschi’s original theory of social bonds, all attachments are good because it prevents youths from committing crimes (Cullen et al., 2014). Attachments help prevent crime because an individual will not want to disappoint the person they have an emotional bond with such as a parent or teacher. Also, Hirschi indicates that with strong attachments an internalized parent known as the superego could develop, which works as a constant reminder to not participate in criminal acts even if the person one is attached to is not present (Cullen et al., 2014).

In 1969, a man named Travis Hirschi wrote and proposed something called the Social Control Theory. This theory can be applied in numerous kinds of ways when trying to address and solved social problems dealing with adolescents delinquent behavior. Before we can try to apply the Social Bond Theory, we must first understand the components and definition of the theory. Once we have a firm grasp of the theory, we can then look into our own lives and programs within our communities, to possibly provide support to strengthen the validity of the Social Bond Theory.

Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime proposes that low self-control is the cause of crime. Self-control is defined as a person’s ability to control their emotions, behaviors and desires in the face of external demands. Hirschi argued that everyone is born without self-control but it is gained through familial interactions. Parents who supervise their children, recognize deviance and punish deviant acts build self-control in their children. Therefore, low self-control is the product of unsuccessful parenting, such as failing to recognize and correct children’s wrong behavior. Children with low levels of self-control end up being more prone to crime, and their criminal tendencies continue into adulthood. If a child is never told