Walter Reckless’ Containment theory is that of one that highly intrigues me. His theory claims that those who resist anti-social temptations are contained by two overlapping forms of containment- outer and inner. My focus throughout this essay will lie within inner containment, which is how the individual sees themselves. The reason why the idea of self-concept is pivotal is because it claims that those with a more negative self-concept become more likely to engage in criminal acitivities. I will be drawing attention on the four main factors of inner containment which are the following: self-concept, goal orientation, frustration tolerance and norm erosion whilst providing critique for the theory. I will also be heavily using the case study
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Eric Harris and Dyland Klebold were two young perpetrators who murdered 12 students and a teacher alongside injuring 21 people at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999. An interesting point to contemplate was the negative self-concept that both Harris and Klebold held. Throughout Harris’s diary journals he would document that he wanted revenge against anyone who he thought had ever wronged him: ‘I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things.’ It was also reported that both Harris and Klebold were unpopular students who were often targets of bullying, mainly by the Columbine athletes. Therefore this goes to show how resentment was clearly building up for Eric as he felt alienated. This is then reflected on the actually day of the massacre as when the pair entered the school library Klebold exclaimed, “Everybody with white hats stand up! This is for all the s---- you’ve given us …show more content…
The idea of self-concept can not solely be taken into account when explaining why some are more likely to engage in criminal activities, it ignores other social and genetic factors. Reckless himself stresses that the theory is more so sufficient for minor types of delinquency such as theft and that the containment theory is not able to explain extreme levels of crime. Nevertheless to refute this, it is claimed that there has not been any other previous research testing the assumption that the containment theory can not explain major delinquencies. Also, the theory does not appear to explain those criminal activities that are deemed ‘normal’ in certain deviant communities. It may be that such behaviour is encouraged in some families and communities.
Fundamentally, the theory provided by Walter Reckless exploring the idea that a negative self-concept increases the likelihood of criminal activities, is a credible one. There is much evidence provided by real life case studies that display that the main factors of a negative self –concept, goal orientation, low frustration tolerance and norm erosion all play a role in increasing the chances of individuals engaging in criminal activity. Albeit there are critiques of the theory, the support provided seems to outweigh them thus making the theory a reliable
Eric Harris and Dyland Klebold were two young perpetrators who murdered 12 students and a teacher alongside injuring 21 people at Columbine High School on April 20th, 1999. An interesting point to contemplate was the negative self-concept that both Harris and Klebold held. Throughout Harris’s diary journals he would document that he wanted revenge against anyone who he thought had ever wronged him: ‘I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things.’ It was also reported that both Harris and Klebold were unpopular students who were often targets of bullying, mainly by the Columbine athletes. Therefore this goes to show how resentment was clearly building up for Eric as he felt alienated. This is then reflected on the actually day of the massacre as when the pair entered the school library Klebold exclaimed, “Everybody with white hats stand up! This is for all the s---- you’ve given us …show more content…
The idea of self-concept can not solely be taken into account when explaining why some are more likely to engage in criminal activities, it ignores other social and genetic factors. Reckless himself stresses that the theory is more so sufficient for minor types of delinquency such as theft and that the containment theory is not able to explain extreme levels of crime. Nevertheless to refute this, it is claimed that there has not been any other previous research testing the assumption that the containment theory can not explain major delinquencies. Also, the theory does not appear to explain those criminal activities that are deemed ‘normal’ in certain deviant communities. It may be that such behaviour is encouraged in some families and communities.
Fundamentally, the theory provided by Walter Reckless exploring the idea that a negative self-concept increases the likelihood of criminal activities, is a credible one. There is much evidence provided by real life case studies that display that the main factors of a negative self –concept, goal orientation, low frustration tolerance and norm erosion all play a role in increasing the chances of individuals engaging in criminal activity. Albeit there are critiques of the theory, the support provided seems to outweigh them thus making the theory a reliable