Criminology: Social Control/ Social Bonds

With which two people did the social control theories originate with?

Hobbes and Durkheim

What did Hobbes propose and what was his solution to this issue?

He stated that Natural state of humanity was one of greediness and self-centeredness,
which led to a chaotic state of constant warfare among individuals.. thus by creating a society by and forming binding contracts (or laws), this would alleviate the chaos by deterring individuals from violating others' rights

What was one issue with Hobbes proposition?

despite such laws, the innately greedy nature of humans would not be completely eliminated which is why the use of punishments was necessary

What did Durkheim propose?

He proposed that in times of rapid social transitions, where individuals were free to compete for their own personal utility and self-interest, crime would be more likely.

What are the two types of social bonds that durkheim proposed?

Effectively made bonds and ineffectively made bonds

What is an example of effectively made bonds?

regulation and integration

What is an example of ineffectively made bonds?

anomie and egoism

What is the definition of social integration?

bond of physical connectedness that has to do with the relationships established with others and institutions

What is the definition of social regulation?

being bound to social rules and regulations to impose limits on human's natural insatiable desires and appetites

What are the 3 key assumptions of Hobbes and Durkheim

1. Humans are inherently self-interested
2. Control theories are more concerned with explaining why individuals dont commit crime or deviant behavior
3. most individuals do not give into their natural selfish impulses because there is something that constraints their behavior

Who made up the 5 early control theories and what were they?

1. Reiss: Failure of personal and social controls
2. Toby: Stakes in conformity
3. Nye: 4 types of social control
4. Sykes and Matza: Drift theory and Neutralization
5. Reckless: Containment theory

What is the definition of personal controls?

an individuals ability to refrain from meeting needs/desires that were not in conformity with the rules of a given community

What is the definition of social controls?

the ability of social groups/institutions to make normal and rules effective

What is believed to be the primary source of control?

family

What did Reiss think could result from the individuals acceptance of rules or submission to them?

conformity

What are stakes in conformity?

those valued social assets that are jeopardized when an individual breaks the law

What are examples of stakes in conformity?

high school degree, job, family ties and relationships

T or F : individuals with low stakes in conformity are less likely to risk jeopardizing those things through criminal action?

F.. (high stakes in conformity)

How do peer influences affect social controls?

peers can both motivate and inhibit antisocial behavior, depending on whether most of ones peers have low or high stakes in conformity

T or F:
social controls increase the social costs of criminal behavior and ones future prospects

T

What are the 4 types of social control that Nye proposed and an example of each?

1. Direct controls (restrictions, punishment for violation)
2. Internal controls(conscience)
3.indirect controls (affectional identification with parents)
4.the ability of legitimate means to satisfy needs

What does the term "drift" refer to with Sykes and Matzas theory?

most individual who get involved in delinquent acts are law-abiding individuals most of the time, and tend to have a law-abiding life after a period of delinquent behavior

When are the social controls usually weakened for individuals?

during teenage years

What is the definition of neutralization techniques?

techniques that provide justification for momentary violating standards the individual believes in by neutralizing belief

What are the 5 neutralization techniques that Sykes and Matza proposed?

1. Denial of responsibility
2. Denial of injury
3. Denial of the victim
4. Condemnation of the condemners
5. Appeal to higher loyalties

What is denial of responsibility?

individuals claim they aren't responsible for their behavior

What is denial of injury?

criminals evaluate their wrongful behavior in terms of whether anyone was hurt by it

What is denial of the victim?

criminals may accept responsibility for their actions but see them as being a rightful retaliation or punishment

What is condemnation of the condemners?

criminals may shift the focus from their deviant acts to the motives and behavior of those who disapprove of these actions (Ex: police are corrupt)

What is appeal to higher loyalties?

criminals may sacrifice the rules of the larger society for the rules of the smaller social groups to which they belong, like a gang

What does Reckless's containment theory propose?

that crime was the consequence of social pressures

What is the definition of external containment?

groups able to hold individuals within the bounds of the accepted norms and expectations

What is the definition of internal containment?

the ability of the person to follow the expected norms

What are pushes toward crime and examples?

aspects from the individuals background that may lead them toward criminal involvement. Ex: crime background/ biological propensitites

What are pulls toward crime and examples?

the rewards crime may offer
Ex: financial gain/ sexual satisfaction

T or F:
Containment is a stabilizing force and, if effective, blocks such pushes and pulls from leading the individual toward crime

T

Who proposed the social bonding theory and when?

Hirschi - 1969

What does Hirschis social bonding theory propose?

that delinquent acts occur when the bond to society is weak or broken

What are the 4 elements to social bond theory?

1. attachment to others
2. commitment to conventional goals
3. involvement in conventional activities
4. beliefs

T or F:
these 4 elements should be negatively related to crime, creating a stake in conformity

F (positively)

What did Hirschi use to test his theory?

Rochester self-report data

What did Hirschi find from his empirical test?

that regardless of race, class, or peer delinquency, male youth more attached to parents are less likely to be delinquent.

How did Hirchis empirical test support his 4 elements of social control

it supported attachment and belief and had mixed support for participation in conventional activities

What does the empirical evidence show for attachment?

that it has not received support in the literature, but studies suggest association with delinquent other is significantly related to increased levels of delinquency

What does the empirical evidence show for commitment to conventional values?

they play an important role in preventing delinquency among youth

What does the empirical evidence show for involvement?

it hasn't received much support and is usually omitted from tests of social control theory, found that it varys according to the type of activity and the supervision status

What does the empirical evidence show for belief?

received support both in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies

What are two integrated social control theory's?

1. Titles control-balance theory
2. Hagan's power-control theory

What does Tittles control-balance theory consist of?

A blend of social and containment perspectives

What two elements can determine the probability of deviance occurring?

the amount of control to which one is subjected and the amount of control one can excercise

What is a crucial concept of Tittles control-balance theory and why?

control ratio which is said to predict the probability one will engage in deviance

What does Hagans power-control theory attempt to explain

differences in offending btwn males and females

What does Hagans power-control theory focus on and what is that influenced by?

focused on patriarchal attitudes and structure in the household, influenced by parental positions in the workforce

What are unbalanced households (patriarchal)?

households where mothers and fathers have dissimilar levels of power in the workplace... more likely to suppress criminal activity in daughters and risky activity among males in the house are encouraged

What are balanced households?

the mother and father have relatively similar levels of power at work and mothers are less likely to exert control over daughters.

T or F:
balanced households are more likely to experience gender differences in the criminal offending of the children

F (less)

What are 3 limitations of control theories?

1. Ignore the fact that some people are more motivated to commit crime than others
2. doesn't consider elements that may increase motivation
3. fails to consider how social bonds are affected by external forces