Social Control and Deviance Theories (edited)

INTRODUCTION

• This chapter explores social control theories of deviance, using social media examples.

• Social control theories originate from classical theories associated with Cesare Beccaria, emphasizing free will and rationalistic hedonism.

• Control theorists believe humans are antisocial and attracted to norm violation.

• The key question is why people obey rules, not why they deviate.

• deviant career: a structured sequence of deviant roles similar to a job (e.g. drug dealer or sex worker)

• Career deviance: a pattern of deviant behaviors over time, not necessarily involving a formal role

• both of these involve time and progression (onset, continuation, and desistance)

Case study: Arthur vs. Michael

• both boys had similar deviant upbringing

• Michael entered military and gained structure/stable life

• Arthur was rejected from the military, remained unemployed, committed crimes, and had poor health

• suggests that later life events, not early risk factors alone, shape long-term deviant outcomes

• this highlights risk and protective factors:

  • Risk

    • individual: early antisocial behavior, drug use, poor self control

    • family: conflict, poor supervision, deviant parental behavior

    • school: low achievement, lack of bonding

    • community: poverty, availability of drugs/guns, disorganized neighborhoods

  • Protective

    • strong family and school attachment

    • positive peer influence

    • opportunities for prosocial involvement

Continuation & Escalation

• persistence due to:

  • weak social bonds

  • reaction to stress

  • continued association with deviant peers

• Generalists vs specialists

  • most deviants are generalists and engage in a variety of deviant behaviors rather than focusing on a single type of deviance.

  • Hinderlang: teens who commit deviance engage in many forms not one type

  • sec offenders and DUI offenders are often generalists with varied deviant histories

Desistance (getting out)

• life events like marriage, jobs, or faith can promote this

• barriers to desistance (especially for women prostitutes):

  • individual: trauma, addiction, health, shame

  • relational: lack of support, pimps, isolation

  • structural: poverty, joblessness, criminal record

  • societal: stigma, discrimination

Onset of Deviance

• initiation is often simple and opportunity-based (e.g. drinking, theft)

• Beker’s marijuana use model:

  1. learn technique

  2. feel effects

  3. redefine effects as enjoyable

• P. & P. Adler 3 routes to drug dealing

  • low-level (supporting own habit)

  • middle-level (professionals with money)

  • smuggling (mentored apprenticeship)

Deviant identity formation

• identity forms over time (e.g. anorexia/bulimia becoming a “master status”)

• McLorg & Taub: primary to secondary deviance in eating disorders

• Halkitis & Palamar: Club drug use among gay/bisexual men shows patterns and transitions

DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY

• Early theorists distinguished between internal and external social control.

  • Internal control: thoughtful introspection.

  • External control: societal controls.

Nye’s Social Control Theory

• Deviant behavior results from insufficient social control.

• Four clusters of social control:

1. Internalized control: conscience.

2. Parents and indirect control: parental disapproval.

3. Direct control: restrictions and punishments.

4. Reasons not to engage in deviant behavior: alternative means to need satisfaction.

• Social control theory explains why individuals do not engage in deviance.

• Social media can change behavior through punishment, disapproval, etc.

Hirschi’s Social Control Theory (Social Bonding Theory)

• Focuses on indirect controls of behavior.

• Deviance is a given; the absence of deviance needs explanation.

• Social bond comprises four parts:

1. Attachment: emotional component; caring about others' opinions.

2. Commitment: rational component; investment in conventional society.

3. Involvement: time spent in conforming activities.

4. Belief: agreement with societal rules and norms.

Contemporary Additions to Social Control Theory

Power-Control Theory

• Combines class and control theories.

• Parental positions affect patriarchal attitudes, influencing control levels on children.

• Balanced households: similar control levels for sons and daughters.

• Unbalanced households: greater control on daughters, leading to gender differences in deviance.

Theory of Self-Control

• Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) proposed a general theory of crime.

• Deviance is chosen to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.

• Self-control is a stable trait developed early through socialization.

• Low self-control results from lack of nurturance, discipline, or training.

• Six elements of low self-control:

1. Immediate gratification.

2. Easy gratification.

3. Exciting, risky, or thrilling.

4. Few long-term benefits.

5. Little skill or planning.

6. Pain or discomfort for the victim.

Life Course Theory

• Examines social bonds from adolescence to adulthood.

• Trajectories: long-term patterns of behavior.

• Transitions: specific life events.

• Age-graded theory of informal social control: social bonds between members of society and institutions.

• Important life events can change a trajectory.

APPLICATION OF SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES

• Social control theory emphasizes the family as the primary controlling agent of deviance.

• Family process and quality are crucial.

• Attachment, overall home quality, discipline, supervision, and level of conflict are significant predictors of juvenile delinquency.

CRITIQUES OF SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES

• Early versions had underdeveloped constructs.

• Hirschi’s theory is widely tested but better at predicting minor deviance.

• Debates on whether control varies or is set early in life.

• Assumes individuals are rational and perceive consequences of behavior.

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL THEORIES

• Gottfredson and Hirschi’s theory has been researched globally.

• Studies in China, Switzerland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Japan, and Turkey support the theory.

• Parental neglect is a significant predictor of self-control in various countries.

• deviant career research is mostly US based

• cross national studies show:

  • common risk factors across cultures: peer influence, low self-control, family bonding

  • males and those with more deviant peers tend to be less specialized in their deviance

EXPLAINING DEVIANCE IN THE STREETS AND DEVIANCE IN THE SUITES

Stratification in Deviance

• not all deviance is equal: street prostitutes face violence, stigma, police abuse. While elite escorts report empowerment, control, higher pay

• social class and power shape deviant experiences

Teenage Runaways and Throwaways

• Family difficulties, especially abuse, are common reasons for running away.

• Chesney-Lind argues this is a gendered pathway to delinquency.

• Hirschi’s theory explains that weakened bonds lead to deviance.

Medical Deviance by Doctors

• Includes fraud, unnecessary surgery, incompetent care, and overprescribing medications.

• Fraud accounts for a significant percentage of health care spending.

• Hirschi’s social bond, belief, explains how doctors justify fraudulent practices.

IDEAS IN ACTION: HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES

• Gang intervention and reentry program.

• Focuses on building attachment, commitment, and involvement bonds.

CONCLUSION

• Social control theories rely on the classical tradition of criminology.

• Belief in rational mind and ability to make choices.

• Individuals want to maximize pleasure and minimize pain and must be restrained from engaging in deviance.

• policy implications:

  • programs should focus on: prevention, escalation, or desistance stages

  • whether to use universal vs, targeted interventions

  • e.g. drug prevention for all youth (universal) vs. at risk students only (targeted)

  • be aware of unintended consequences