1. Assumptions about “Motivation towards crime”
Strain theory: motivation from some sort of strain (e.g. blocked opportunity)
Learning theory: motivation from delinquent peers
Control theory: there is enough natural motivation towards crime
No need to “build in” extra motivation

2. Types of Control Direct Control Indirect Control Internal Control
Direct punishments, rewards from parents, friends
Indirect Control
Refrain from deviance because you don’t want to risk friends, job, etc.
Internal Control
Good self-concept, self-control, conscience

3. Travis Hirschi Causes of Delinquency
Identified 4 Elements of the Bond
Attachment (emotional element)
Commitment (stake in conformity)
Involvement (in conventional activities)
Belief (in the validity of the law)
Focus here is on indirect controls

4. Evidence in Favor of Bonds
Attachment
Attachment to parents (wish to emulate, identify with)
Commitment
Grades, educational aspirations
Belief
Neutralizations

5. Criticisms of Hirschi’s Theory
Delinquents do form relationships
Attachment to delinquent peers or parents increases, rather than decreases delinquency
Which comes first, bonds or delinquency?
Bonds more salient for females, and early in adolescence

6. Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990)
A General Theory of Crime
Same control theory assumptions
If we are all inclined to be deviant, why conform?
Because most of us develop “self-control”
“Internal control”
Developed by age 8, as the result of “direct control” from parents

7. Nature of Crime, Nature of Low Self-Control
Criminal Acts…
Provide immediate gratification
of desires
Are risky/thrilling
Are easy/simple
Require little skill/planning
Provide few/meager long term
benefits
Result in pain/discomfort to a
victim
People with low self-control
are therefore…
Impulsive
Risk-taking
Physical (as opposed to mental)
Low verbal ability
Short-sighted
Insensitive

8. The implications of low self-control
Explains “stability of criminal behavior”
But, how does it explain “aging out?”
Explains all crime and analogous behaviors
Analogous = same “nature” as criminal acts

9. Patterson Revisited: Revenge of the control theorists
Parents
supervise
and punish
deviance
Parenting
Context
Child’s
Antisocial
Behavior
Is Patterson a “social learning” or “control” theorist???

10. Empirical Support
Moderate relationship between low self-control and both crime and analogous behaviors
Holds for both males and females
BUT
Not the “sole cause” of crime
May not explain white collar crimes

11. Policy Implications Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory
Target attachment, commitment, belief
Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory
Must focus on early childhood prevention
Train parents?

12. REVIEW CONTROL VS. LEARNING
Assumptions about motivation (and human nature)
Differences over attachment to “deviant others”
Similarity?
“Direct Controls” are similar to “Mechanisms of Learning”