The Four Social Bonds

Various studies have determined that delinquent behavior is often related to how weak or strong an individual’s social bonds are. In 1969, Travis Hirschi identified four social bonds, which were attachments, commitment, involvement, and belief. Attachment is often defined as an emotional connection to other individuals such as parents, teachers, and friends. Hirschi’s second social bond is defined as commitment. This particular social bond states that if an individual is dedicated and concerned about their investment in conventional activates they are less likely to engage in illegal acts (Hirschi, 1969). Furthermore, involvement is the social bond that prevents individuals from engaging in illegal acts. If an individual is involved in conventional

Similarities were noted when both studies looked at the social bond of belief and involvement. In both studies, the participant’s views of how important school behavior is to them was closely measured. Furthermore, when measuring the overall involvement of the participants, both research look at how much the participant engaged in extracurricular activities sponsored by their schools and time spent doing homework (Hart and Mueller, 2012; Ozbay and Ozcan, 2006). Hart and Mueller (2012) specifically applied all four social bonding theory in an educational context, but Ozbay and Ozcan (2006) explored other factors of the participant’s

Prior to Ozbay and Ozcan (2006) research, 71 studies have been conducted to test social bond theory and most were done in the United States. According to Ozbay and Ozcan (2006), having most of the studies administered in the America creates an impression that Hirschi’s social bond theory cannot be generalizable to another culture. The motivation for their particular study was to examine how Hirschi’s social bond theory can be applied in developing country such as Turkey (Ozbay and Ozcan, 2006). In contrast to Ozbay and Ozcan (2006), Hart and Mueller (2012) wanted to explore if there is any difference between gender and school delinquency. In addition, Hart and Mueller (2012) main purpose for their analysis is to integrate all four social bonding strictly to school functions, as previously stated, and how it can explain school