Exam 1

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Exam 1
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Testing A Hypothesis

• Hypothesis individuals who are committed to
  performing well will do better on the exam.
• My measure of commitment to theory class
• 0 no assignments turned in
• 1 turned in, but no assignments gt 8
• 2 at least one assignment gt 8
• Correlation between commitment to theory class
• and exam score. r .595
• Alternative Measure whether/not turn in an
  assignment r .475

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Control Theories

• Informal Social Control

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Assumptions about human nature

• Humans are hedonistic, self-serving beings
• We are inclined towards deviance from birth
• natural motivation
• no positive motivation required
• variation in motivations toward deviance
• Is this different from Differential
  Association/Social Learning?
• Sutherland All crime is learned, not invented

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If we are inclined toward deviance...

• Key Question Why arent most of us deviant?
• Hirschi There is much evidence that we would be
  if we dared.
• Answer Informal Social Control

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Are control theories different?

• Akers
• They dont try to explain non-crime or
  conformity
• Different sides of the same coin
• Control Theorists
• Completely different assumptions about human
  nature and motivation towards crime

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Ivan Nye (1958)

• Identified 3 types of informal control
• 1. Direct Controls
• 2. Indirect Controls
• 3. Internal Controls

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Walter Reckless Containment Theory
Inner (Good self
concept) Containment

• Outer Containment
• parents/school
• supervision

• Pushes and Pulls
• poverty, anger,delinquent
• subculture

DELINQUENCY OUT HERE !!!!!!
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Enter Travis Hirschi

• Social Bond Theory

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Social Bond Theory

• Causes of Delinquency (1969)
• Was an attack on other theories as much as a
  statement of his theory
• Self-report data (CA high schools)
• Measures from competing theories
• This book was the first of its kind!

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Hirschis Criticisms of Past Theory

• 1. A pure control theory needs no or external
  motivation to explain crime.
• Exclude pushes and pulls from control theory
• Other theories present an over-socialized human
• 2. Internal control is too subjective and
  nearly impossible to measure.
• Exclude conscience, self-concept, or
  self-control
• Subsumed under Attachment

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Social Bond Theory

• Bond indicates Indirect Control
• Direct controls (punishment, reinforcement) less
  important because delinquency occurs when out of
  parents reach (adolescence).
• Attachment
• Commitment (Elements of the social bond
• Involvement are all related to each other)
• Belief

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Or, Put Another Way
The Social Bond Attachment Commitment Involvement
Belief
Crime Fun, thrilling, quick and easy
satisfaction of desires
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Attachment

• The emotional bond
• Sensitivity towards others (especially parents)
• Measured as
• Identification with and emulation of parents
• Concern with teachers opinion of oneself

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Commitment

• The rational bond
• Ones stake in conformity
• Social Capital
• Measures
• academic achievement
• grades
• test scores
• educational aspirations

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Involvement

• Idle hands are the devils workshop
• Involvement in conventional activity
• Simply less time for deviance
• Measures
• time playing basketball, baby-sitting, doing
  homework.

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Belief

• Belief in the validity of the law
• Hold values consistent with the law
• Measures
• Neutralizations (from Sykes/Matza)
• Belief in the value of education
• Respect for police and the law

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How can neutralizations support both social
learning theory and control theory?

• Neutralizations as a Pirate variable
• 1. Sutherland/Akers definitions that motivate
  delinquency
• 2. Hirschi indicator of weak moral beliefs
• 3. Bandura disengagement of cognitive
  self-evaluation (can be negative reinforcement)

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Research on Bonds

• Hirschis own research supportive
• But, couldnt explain delinquent peers
• So, birds of a feather explanation
• Subsequent research
• Attachment, commitment, beliefs are related
• Relationships are moderate to weak
• Causal ordering?

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Delinquent Peers and Parents

• Hirschi Any bonding insulates a person from
  delinquency
• Even if the person you bond to is delinquent
• Akers Bonding to delinquent persons increases
  delinquency
• Whos right? AKERS