Social Bond Control Theory: The Cause Of Delinquency

Concept and assumptions

Social or bond control theory assumes that people, especially teenagers, will have delinquent acts when they are not controlled. In other words, whenever individual’s bond to society is weak, a person is likely to commit crimes. In the social control theory, there are four elements of the bond to conventional society that influence people’s behaviors, including attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.

Attachment

According to THE CAUSE OF DELINQUENCY, people who have attachment, or are sensitive to others’ opinion, are likely to have less delinquent behaviors than people who do not have. To make this assumption clearer, Durkheim (1961) says that since human is considered moral to the extent that we may have been

Since parents are considered primary and influential factors for preventing crime and delinquency, attachment to parents can be the best protection for children from deviant behaviors. Furthermore, this theory provides a guideline for designing programs that encourage children to establish the elements of social bonds. For example, as the assumption of involvement, keeping children busy with conventional activities can help reduce the likelihood of committing delinquency. So such program as student associations, sport clubs, and extra curriculum activities, may be able to keep children away from deviant

Also, the way Hirschi organized his work is very comprehensive. He developed his theory by comparing and contrasting through three criminological perspectives, including the cultural deviance theory by Sutherland (1939), the strain theory by Merton (1938), and his social bond theory. By doing so, he can design operational measures for a survey based on the key concepts of each theory. For example, question about attitudes toward the violation of laws are based largely on the concept of the cultural deviance theory. Consequently, by using the comparative method, Hirchis can illustrate the advantages of the social bond theory as well as the limitations of those two theories simultaneously. This approach was a new way for criminology. Lastly, the self-control theory by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) has built on the assumption of the social control theory, trying to extend the scope for explaining delinquent behaviors among