Chapter 7: Social Process & Social Development

Containment Theory (Internal & External)

Walter Reckless believed people face pressures and temptations to break the law. However, some things help them resist those pressures.

• Inner containment: Your own self-control. For example, knowing stealing is wrong and choosing not to do it.

• External containment: Support and guidance from people around you, such as family, friends, and society.

Social Bond Theory

Travis Hirschi

people are less likely to commit crimes when they have strong connections to society. When those connections become weak or break, they may be more likely to commit crimes.

Social Bond Theory (Attachment, Commitment, Involvement, Belief)

• Attachment: Caring about and having connections with other people, such as family and friends.

• Commitment: Having goals and things to lose, such as your education, job, or future.

• Involvement: Spending time doing positive activities instead of getting into trouble.

• Belief: Believing in society's rules and understanding that breaking them is wrong.

Control Ratio

compares how much control a person has over others versus how much control others have over them.

• It helps predict whether someone may commit a crime and what type of crime they might commit.

• Someone who feels they have little control over their own life may respond by trying to gain control over others.

Labeling Theory

when society labels someone as a criminal, that label can affect how they are treated and make it harder for them to stay away from crime.

• People may treat them differently because of their criminal label.

• They may have fewer opportunities, such as getting a job.

• This can make it harder for them to change

The General Theory of Crime (Low-self control, Social bonds, Criminal opportunity)

Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson

people with low self-control are more likely to commit crimes because they struggle to control their desires and think about the consequences.

• Low self-control: Acting on urges without thinking about the consequences.

• Social bonds: Strong connections with family and society help people develop self-control.

• Criminal opportunity: Even someone with low self-control needs an opportunity to commit a crime.

Submission

passive, unthinking, slavish obedience to the expectations of others

Moral Enterprise

When a group tries to turn its own beliefs about what is right and wrong into laws.

• Groups push for laws that support their values and interests.

• They want the law to enforce what they believe is acceptable or unacceptable.

Stability Thesis

person's level of self-control is developed by the end of childhood and generally stays the same throughout life.

• Parents help develop self-control by monitoring behavior, recognizing bad behavior, and correcting it.

• Strong social bonds and parental involvement help children develop self-control.

Primary Deviance & Secondary Deviance

Primary Deviance: The first time someone commits a deviant act. It may happen because of pressure, personal needs, or a situation.

Secondary Deviance: When someone continues committing deviant acts after being labeled a criminal and begins to accept that label as part of their identity.

Thornberry's Interactional Theory (Weak social bonds, Delinquent peers, Positive rewards, Casual loop)

delinquency can happen when someone has weak connections to society and spends time around people who encourage criminal behavior.

• Weak social bonds: Less connection to family, school, and society.

• Delinquent peers: Friends who commit crimes can teach and encourage others to do the same.

• Positive rewards: Breaking rules may be rewarded or encouraged by the group.

• Causal loop: Delinquent friends can lead someone to commit crimes, and committing crimes can lead them to make more delinquent friends.

Evolutionary Ecology (Cohort analysis, Longitudinal research, Wolfgang’s study)

studies how people develop throughout their lives and how early life experiences and environments can influence their behavior

• Cohort analysis: Follows a group of people who share something in common, often from birth, to study how they develop.

• Longitudinal research: Studies the same people over a long period of time.

• Wolfgang's study: Found that a small group of repeat juvenile offenders was responsible for a large share of all juvenile arrests.

Life-Course Persisters (LCP)

people who begin showing problem behaviors early in life and continue those behaviors into adulthood.

• Their behavior may be linked to brain/developmental difficulties, poverty, and family problems.

• Early school failure and delinquency can make it harder for them to succeed later in life.

• They may have fewer opportunities for education, jobs, and other positive paths.

Social Capital

the positive relationships and connections a person builds throughout their life.

• Includes supportive relationships with family, friends, teachers, and the community.

• Stronger positive relationships can lower the likelihood of criminal behavior.

Turning Points

important life events that can change a person's behavior and move them toward or away from crime.

• They can create a major change in someone's life.

• Examples: Getting a job or getting married may help someone move away from criminal behavior.

The Life-Course Perspective

studies how criminal behavior changes throughout a person's life, from childhood to adulthood.

• Crime is uncommon in childhood.

• Delinquency often begins in the teenage years or early adulthood.

• Criminal behavior often decreases or stops by ages 30–40.

• Some people stop offending, while others continue committing crimes throughout their lives.

Criminal Career

the series of crimes a person commits over a period of time throughout their life.

Human Agency

the idea that people shape their own lives through the choices they make and the actions they take.

• People make their own decisions, but their choices can be affected by their opportunities and life circumstances.

• Everyone has some control over the direction their life takes.

Example: Someone growing up in a difficult environment can still choose to focus on school and avoid getting involved in crime.

Life Course vs. Life-Course Criminology

• Life course: The path a person's life takes as they grow older, including different life stages, experiences, and important events.

• Life-course criminology: Uses that life path to study how and why people start committing crimes, continue committing them, or stop as they get older.

Example:

• Life course: Someone goes from childhood to adolescence, gets a job, gets married, and becomes an adult.

• Life-course criminology: Researchers study how those life experiences, such as getting a job or getting married, might influence whether that person commits crimes.

Laub and Sampson's Age-Graded Theory (Weak social bonds, Job stability, Life changes)

person's connections to society change throughout life, and these connections can influence whether they commit crimes.

• Weak social bonds: Problems at home, school, and with friends can increase the likelihood of delinquency during childhood.

• Job stability: Having a steady job can help someone move away from crime.

• Life changes: Important events in adulthood can change a person's behavior, even if they were involved in crime as a child.