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Deviance and its impact on society
Deviance and its impact on society
Fighting crime through criminology theories
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In 1969, Travis Hirschi developed what is known as Social Bond Theory. Hirschi built on the work of other social control theorists and was able to provide a better picture of what social bond is. In Social Bond Theory there are four basic elements that make up social bonds. They are attachment, involvement, commitment, and belief. It is these four bonds that all humans hold and ultimately determine conformity or deviant behavior(Agnew, 1985). The four bonds are imperative in determining a person’s conformity or deviance to society. When bonds are weak, Hirschi saw that a person becomes “free” to engage in delinquency (Williams & McShane, 2010). The first bond, which is attachment, deals with the relationship one has with parents, friends or school and clubs. Attachment is the most important bond because a strong tie to parents or institutions will help prevent deviance. Attachment is also important because the other bonds are thought to build on attachment. The second bond, which is involvement, deals with one’s time spent during extra-curricular activities (Williams & McShane, 2010). These activities include such things as work, hobbies, school, and talking with friends. It is believed that the more time spent by an individual on these activities, the less time the individual will have for deviant behavior. Taking part in sports, clubs and other activities will increase conformity to society. Commitment, which is the third bond, focuses on an individual’s time invested on a career, education, or one’s own reputation (Williams & McShane, 2010). It is believed that if an individual has spent much time and put in a great amount of effort in something, such as an education, then the risk of committing deviant behavio... ... middle of paper ... ...ity (Williams & McShane, 2010). In conclusion, Social Bond Theory has been around for many years and has stood the test of time. The four bonds, attachment, involvement, commitment and belief are all held by individuals and play a major part in determining criminality. While it does not describe deviance perfectly, it does match what is believed to be the basic human view of why people become criminals. The view of Social Bond Theory is that all humans are basically evil and that deviance is a natural process. It is just a matter of how weak or strong these bonds are that either promotes, or deters deviance. Works Cited Agnew, R. (1985). Social Control Theory and Delinquency: A Longitudinal Test. Criminology Volume 23 , 47-59. Williams, F., & McShane, M. (2010). Criminological Theory, 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
The two theories that are being analyzed in this paper are Ronald Akers’ Social Learning Theory and Travis Hirschi’s Social Bonding Theory. Hirschi's social bonding theory is one of many control theories which all take on the task of explaining the core cause of crime; however, this particular theory seems to be the most popular and able to stand the test of time. The Social Bond theory contains four elements that explain what criminals lack that causes them to be more prone to illegal activity, these elements are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. On the other end of the spectrum is Akers’ Social Learning Theory, which attempts to explain the correlation between and individual's social environment and their behavior depending on what is praised or punished in an individual's specific social organization. (Walsh & Hemmens)
Lilly, Robert J., Francis T. Cullen, and Richard A. Ball. 2011. Criminological Theory: Context And Consequences. 5th ed. California: SAGE.
Hirschi, T. (2011). Social bond theory. In F. Cullen & R. Agnew (Eds.), Criminological Theory: Past
...th capable individuals, learn to dismiss the fear of attachment and overcome their disillusioned youths.
People who value commitment would not risk it by giving in to crime. Children commit to doing things that they don’t like to do because they want their parent’s approval. So, attachment is an important basis for an individual to succeed and commit to a noncriminal life. Involvement is the third element and it is a direct result of commitment. This is the concrete time spent in noncriminal activities.
Wiatrowski, M.D., Griswold, D.B., & Roberts, M.K. (1981). Social control theory and delinquency. American Sociological Review, 46(5), 525-541.
Sampson, R., & Laub, J. (1990). Crime and Deviance over the Life course: the salience of adult social bonds. American Sociological Review, 55(5), 609-627.
Akers, R, & Sellers, C. (2009). Criminological theories: introduction, evaluation, and application. New York: Oxford University Press, USA.
Criminological Theories: Introduction, Evaluation, Application. Akers Ronald L., Sellers Christine S. 2013. Retrieved from http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199844487/guide1/study_guide.pdf
Social bond theory benefits in explaining the case study of Edmund Kemper in various ways. For example, the theoretical principle of the social bond theory emphasizes that the absence of the 4 social bonds
Attachment is an emotional bond that is from one person to another. The attachment theory is a psychological, an evolutionary and an ethological theory that is concerned with relationships between humans, specifically between mother and infant. A young infant has to develop a relationship with at least one of their primary caregivers for them to develop socially and emotionally. Social competence is the condition that possesses the social, emotional and intellectual skills and behaviours, the infant needs these to success as a member of society. Many studies have been focused on the Western society, but there are many arguments to whether or not this can be applicable to other cultures, such as the poorer countries.
Attachment is an important aspect through the developmental stages of a child. It is the process through which an individual develops specific bonds with others (). John Bowlby theorized Attachment Theory, which focuses on a behavioral system that demonstrates the response of an adult when a child signals which can lead to a strong trusting relationship (). Through attachment infants develop strong emotional bonds with others, which can result in a more positive outcome later in life.
Social Control Theory presumes that people will naturally commit crime if there were left to their own devices (i.e. no laws in society) and people do not commit crimes because of certain controlling forces, such as social bonds that hold individuals back partaking on their anti social behavior (Bell, 2011). Examples of controlling forces are family, school, peers, and the law. Young people who are t... ... middle of paper ... ... nd delinquent are more likely to partake in committing criminal behavior (Shaefer and Haaland, 2011, p.155-156).
Therefore, if the individual role amongst his conventional group and his institutional group is failure, then he or she will participate in crime and commit to what is expected of him, through these groups, once strain causes bonds to weaken a youth is free to engage in delinquency.
Williams, F., & McShane, M. (2010). Criminological Theory, (5th Edition). New Brunswick, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.