Control Theory

Sociology 368 with Morenoff at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

About this deck

By: Lexi Smith
Textbook:

Criminal Justice: The Essentials

Making Sense of Criminal Justice: Policies and Practices

Researching Theories of Crime and Deviance
Created: 2009-03-20
Size: 39 flashcards
Views: 62

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Assumption from _______ school that all human behavior is motivated by ___-interest and reflects the ________ desire to secure pleasure and avoid pain

Classical; self'; universal

People, if left to their ___ devices, would engage in�hedonistic, self-serving, and often ____-______ behavior

Own; law-violating

_________ provides the glue that holds society together

Socialization

Those unrestrained by society's norms ______ its problems

Create

Age-graded theory takes a somewhat ______ stance on society's norms creating its problems

Softer

Age-graded theory assumes that socialization is an __-_____ process that continues through __________

On-going; adulthood

Hirschi's Social Bond Theory

The social bond curves the natural propensity for misbehavior

Hirschi's Social Bond Theory consists of:

1. Attachment

2. Commitment

3. Involvement

4. Belief

Where any element of Hirschi's Social Bond Theory is �________, misbehavior ensues

Weakened

Skyes and Matza's Neutralization Theory

Delinquent youth drift between conventional and unconventional actions�

Youth do not reject conventional calues, but instead lear to ________ them through the techniques of neutralization

Neutralize

Gottfredson and Hirschi's Self-Control Theory

Individuals with low self-control, who share certain characteristics are more likely to engage in acts, including crime, that offer short-term pleasure for very little effort

Characteristics of individuals with low self-control:

-Search for immediate gratification

-Simplicity in all tasks and decisions

-Desire for physical as opposed to spiritual rewards in life

-Risk-taking activities

-Self-Centeredness

-Anger-proneness

Having little commitment to conventionality and little concern for _____-term consequences of acts makes crime _____ attractive

Long; more

Origin of low self-control is found in poor ______ management

Parental

Poor Parental Management Includes:

-Inadequate monitoring or recognition of a child's misbehavior

-Inappropriate parental responses to misbehavior

-Poor emotional bonds to a child

Sampson and Laub's Life Course Theory

Social bonds commit individuals to conventional life styles and which social bonds are most relevant to change over the life course:

Which social bonds are most relevant to change over the life course EXAMPLE:

-School may be more important in childhood and jobs and marriage may be more important in adulthood

Sampson and Laub's Life Course Theory says life is full of ______ ______, which can redirect people's trajectories either towards crime or away from crime

Turning points

All control theories are appealing to those who hold position that _____ of crime problem is _________ _______ (and not particular social class)

Center; dysfunctional families

Concepts like stake in ________ make sense for those who have _____ considered committing a crime

Conformity; never

Most control theories have direct _______ implications�

Policy

If you _______ social controls and ties to both family and community, then crime will decline

Increase

______ _____ theory was the first traditional�criminological�theory to be empirically testable�

Social bond

Social bond theory was one of the few theories that addresses ________ in male and female�delinquency�rates and in observed rates for _____ or ______ groups

Differences; ethnic; racial

_______ theory provides a powerful critique against cultural- or learning-based theories of crime

Neutralization

____-_____ Theory provides a powerful explanation of why a small proportion of people account for such a large proportion of all crimes (one''s with low ____-_____) and puts and emphasis on ____ _____

Self-Control; self-control; free will

Self-Control theory attempts to explain why the age-crime�relationship�is so ______ across ______ places and historical times

Stable; different

Criminality is _______ over a person's life, but involvement in crime per se peaks in _________

Constant; adolescence

___-_____ Theory does a better job of explaining how people can change their ways over time

Age-graded

Age-graded Theory integrates aspects of ______ theory with _____ theory

Labeling; control

Age-graded Theory has strong ________ support

Empirical

Control Theories often make strong assumptions about _____ _____�

Human nautre

Control Theories assume that people are naturally prone to be ________ and ___-_____

Aggressive; self-serving

Many tests of control theory focus on relatively _______ delinquent acts and ignore more ______ delinquency and crime

Trivial; serious

Self-control theory holds that once you have self-control, you ____ change your ways

Can't

Researchers question the _______ of self-control theory (i.e. its ability to explain all crime)

Generalness

Self-control Theory may be ________ as currently constructed (i.e. the terms low self-control and high self-control may be _____ for�differential�propensity�to commit or refrain from crime)

Tautological; labels

Key Question Control Theory tries to answer:

Why do we NOT commit crimes?