Causes of Delinquency

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Summary: The most influential version of control theory
Review: The most influential version of control theory is that of Travis Hirschi presented in a book titled "Causes of Delinquency." Hirschi theorized that conformity is the result of a bond or tie to four elements in conventional society. As the bond weakens, the probability of deviance increases. So the strength of the bond explains the probability of an individual becoming involved in delinquency. When the bond is stronger, delinquency would be less likely and visa versa. The first element of the bond is attachment to significant others. People are thought to internalize norms and values because they respect close friends and family members. To some extent, they are sensitive to the opinions of others and are concerned about their reputation. Since members of a society share the norms of that society, to violate a norm is to act contrary to the expectations of other people. If a person does not care about the wishes of other people, he will be free to deviate. So the extent to which a person has important relations with others will effect his or her level of deviance (Hirschi, pp. 19). Hirschi views parents, schools, and peers as important social institutions from which a person develops these attachments. He therefore discusses three forms of attachment: to parents, to school, and to peers. As for attachment to parents, "the important consideration is whether the parent is psychologically present when temptation to commit a crime appears" (Hirschi, 1969, pp. 88). Children who would give little thought to parental reactions are relatively free to commit deviant acts. On the other hand, children who are strongly attached to their parents know that deviance will be a source of embarrassment and inconvenience to their parents. They care about the opinions of their parents and therefore try to avoid deviance. Hirschi theorized that juveniles refrain from delinquency due to the relationship consequences that such acts would most likely produce, i.e., that it would put the relationship between parent and child in jeopardy. Attachments therefore act as a primary deterrent to engaging in delinquency. The strength in such a deterrent largely depends on the depth and quality of the parent-child relationship. The amounts of time a child and parent spend together are equally important. This would include intimacy in conversation and identification that may exist between the parent and child. The next area is attachment to the school. In the US school system competence is rewarded and incompetence is not. So the cost of detection is assumed to be reduced for an academically incompetent person because his ties to the conventional order have previously been weakened (Hirschi, pp. 113). In other words, for the poor student, the consequences of crime may be less serious because he has less to loose. On the other hand, the more competent a boy thinks he is, the less likely he is to commit deviant acts (Hirschi, pp. 117). The reason for this is that he feels deviance would put his educational aspirations in jeopardy. Moreover, Hirschi theorizes that boys who value the opinion of their teachers, regardless of their social class, are less likely to be delinquent (Hirschi, pp. 125). The child who does not like school or does not care what his teachers think is likely to believe that the school has no right to control him (Hirschi, pp. 127). As Hirschi puts it, "the academically incompetent person may be very well able to foresee the consequences of his acts; the problem is that, for him, the consequences are less serious" (Hirschi, 1969, pp. 113). The third area is attachment to peers. Hirschi asserts that holding delinquency of friends constant, the more one respects or admires one's friends, the less likely one is to commit delinquent acts. Juveniles honor those they admire - criminals included - not by imitation, but by adherence to conventional standards (Hirschi, pp.152). Indeed, even those who are attached to deviant peers are expected to have lower levels of delinquent, according to the theory. Yet those with high levels of delinquency are not likely to think much of their delinquent peers. Hirschi argues that distrust and suspicion, not intense solidarity, are the foundations of the delinquent gang (Hirschi, pp. 154). Deviant youths seek out deviant peers and the resulting attachments are usually quite weak. In other words, birds of a feather flock together, but seldom develop strong relationships or attachments (Hirschi, pp. 159). If they do, deviance is less likely. The second element of the bond is commitment and it involves time, energy, and effort placed on conventional lines of action. In other words, partaking in social activities ties an individual to the moral and ethical code of society. Hirschi's control theory holds that people who build an investment in life, property, and reputation are less likely to engage in criminal acts which will jeopardize their social position. A lack of commitment to such conventional values will free an individual to partake in delinquent or criminal acts. This is because low aspiration means low stakes in conformity. Hirschi views this as being the rational component in conformity. Humans are committed to particular lines of action and understand the ramifications for pursuing deviant behaviors. This provides one a stake in conformity. People invest time and energy in many things for which deviance would be extremely detrimental. They acquire goods and reputations that they do not want to risk loosing. So people weigh the costs and benefits of engaging in a behavior and most of the time, crime and deviance are considered to be too costly (Hirschi, pp. 20). When they have a lot to loose - high stakes in conformity - they are less likely to deviate. On the other hand, when they have low levels of commitment to conventional values, they also tend to have low stakes in conformity and relatively little to loose by being deviant. The third element is involvement. This addresses a preoccupation in activities that stress the conventional interests of society. Hirschi argues that an individual who is heavy involved in conventional activities does not have enough time to engage in delinquent or criminal acts. He believes that involvement in school, family, and recreation insulates a juvenile from potential delinquent behavior that may be a result of idleness. Since time and energy are limited, a person who is busy doing conventional things will not have enough time to commit acts of deviance. This is basically the view that idle hands are the Devil's workshop (Hirschi, pp. 22). The fourth and final element is belief and it deals with the individual's agreement with a society's value system. This entails respect for laws, and the people and institutions that enforce such laws. Control theory assumes that there is a common (shared) value system in any society. However, there is variation in the extent to which people believe they should obey the rules of a society. The less a person believes he or she should obey the rules, the more likely he or she is to violate them. If beliefs are weakened, or absent, one is more likely to engage in antisocial acts (Hirschi, pp. 23). Also, if people believe that laws are unfair, this bond to society weakens and the likelihood of committing delinquent acts rises. The reason for this is that internal controls (guilt, shame, etc) may be lessened when a person has contempt, distrust, and suspicion for the law. Hirschi is not completely clear about the source of these beliefs but one would be safe to assume that they are instilled from parents and/or close family members.