control theories

Question 1

assumptions of control theory

Answer 1

• motivation to commit crime is a given
• people are inherently selfish
• asks why people don’t commit crime
• deviance results from weak social constraints (a theory of conformity)

Question 2

stakes in conformity

Answer 2

people have stakes in not violating social norms- have a job, a relationship, have to support children, etc…

Question 3

hirschi’s social bonds

Answer 3

there are four elements of the social bond- attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief

Question 4

attachment element of the social bond

Answer 4

• the emotional element
• are we worried about disappointing parents
• most important aspect for hirschi

Question 5

commitment element of the social bond

Answer 5

• how committed is one to societal goals
• the rational element of the social bond

Question 6

involvement element of the social bond

Answer 6

• temporal element
• “idle hands are the devils workshop”
• how involved are we in social roles

Question 7

belief element of the social bond

Answer 7

• moral element
• the rightness and wrongness of behaviors- the strength in how wrong you think something is

Question 8

how do social bonds influence behavior

Answer 8

• people violate social norms because they lack social bonds to conventional others (family, school, work)
• social bonds do not reduce criminal motivation, they simply enable us to resist temptation