Example Of Social Control Theory

Great Essays
As one interacts with numerous people on a daily basis, especially is their neighborhood is filled with criminalistics activity, they will learn these behaviors as they get older with the assistance of those around them. These criminal behaviors also occur most in personal groups. For instance, if a child is raised in a home where the parents are continuously doing drugs, they will most likely view this behavior as something that is advantageous towards them. Young criminals often learn from those who consider themselves professional in regards to committing crimes. They basically copy everything they see their leader doing from the actual committing of the crime to dealing with the consequences. Cultural conflict is when individuals are exposed …show more content…
This theory essentials blames this on today’s society. Everyone has the ability to violate laws, but ultimately do not due to their morals. They are often afraid that committing crimes will ruin great relationships forever. For example, if a college student is currently involved in an internship with a potential employer, they may fear that if they were to commit a crime of any sort, the social bond between them and their potential employer will be ruined forever. Without these social bonds, many people would have no cares in regards to them committing criminal acts. There are four main topics in regards to social bonds: attachment, commitment, belief, and involvement. Attachment to family members, friends, and the community will ultimately assist in ones respect for authority as they grow older. If there is not attachment, one may feel as if they do not have to respect anyone no matter who they may be. If one builds a strong commitment to their future endeavors, they will then begin to think twice before committing criminal acts, unlike those who have no regards to their future or current well-being. Lastly, if one is involved in community service projects, attending school, and working, that leaves little to no time for them to commit criminal acts. For example, if a teenager is living in an unruly neighborhood and simply goes to school and comes back to that …show more content…
Larry was well known around his college for having a positive attitude and just being a helping hand to everyone around him. Before going down this path, Larry was once caught breaking into his neighbor’s house as a teenager. He was influenced by his cousin who had recently came to visit him for a couple of weeks. He and his cousin had a very close relationship, almost as if they were brothers. The neighbor decided not to press charges due to the fact that their parents were extremely good friends. The police spoke to Larry and his cousin, and they went on from there. From that day forward, Larry decided to portray his commitment to conformity. He certainly had a real reason to obey the law now, because he made up his mind to never put himself in a situation like that again. His attachment to his family and friends, his commitment in getting into the best school in his neighborhood, his belief system that he placed within himself, and his involvement around his community after this situation, is what allowed Larry to learn what was essentially moral versus what was

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Hirschi's Theory Of Crime

    • 183 Words
    • 1 Pages

    In developing his theory, Hirschi began by looking at they typical criminal, whom he found to be a young man who grew up in a fatherless home in an urban slum, who had a history of difficulty in school, and who was unemployed. Hirsute identified the social situation of the typical criminal, however, he assumed that those most likely to commit crimes are least likely to be concerned the wishes and expectations of others, have the free time to do so, have little to lose if caught, and are least likely to accept the moral beliefs underlying the law. He further implied that those most likely to commit crimes lack the four elements of the social bond that results in conformity with prosocial behavior: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.…

    • 183 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He was told to get into the back of the cop car which was “a little black jail with bars,”(Bradbury) that only enforced his loss of control over the situation. Bradbury has demonstrated how people sometimes have their power over their lives taken from…

    • 1052 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Michael Gerard Tyson grew up in neighborhoods with high crime rates during his childhood. He had a rough childhood growing up. He had bad events happening his life at a young age. His biological father was not around, he knew Jimmy Kirkpatrick as his father. However, Jimmy Kirkpatrick was known as a regular street guy.…

    • 1435 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Out of all the sociological and psychological theories listed in chapter 2 of our textbook, I think the social control theory has the most merit. The theory is based on four components of social bond. These components are what keep people from committing crimes. The first component is attachment; someone does not commit a crime because they are afraid of being judged by the ones they love, respect, and value. The second is commitment; people do not commit a crime because they put considerable time and energy into the pursuit of a lawful career.…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons with communication and the main part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within personal groups. When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes (1) the techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very simple, and (2) the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes. Differential association theory is one of the social learning theories that attempt to explain deviance and crime. (Sutherland & Cressey, 137)…

    • 1958 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Social Disorganization Theory Case Study

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 3 Works Cited

    When most community or neighborhood members are acquainted and on good terms with one another, a substantial portion of the adult population has the potential to influence each child. Modern Social disorganization theory is more complex than the classical theory. They linked structural aspects of neighborhoods (Poverty, Residential mobility, heterogeneity, and broken homes.) to a neighborhoods ability to institute social control (Interpersonal friendship networks, ability to monitor teens, and public organization) and found it a good predictor of criminal victimization. Placed an emphasis on how disorganization reduced social control and impacted other neighborhood aspects that also enhanced the amount of crime that occurred. This theory statistically speaking, those that grow up in poverty areas generally do not finish school and most likely have parent who did not either.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 3 Works Cited
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The most prominent control theorist, Travis Hirschi (1969), introduced social bond theory during the late 1900’s as a means to explain one’s conformity or resistance to engaging in criminal behavior (Lilly, Cullen & Bell, 2015). Hirschi (1969) felt that crime provides potential risks and benefits and assumed that the potential benefits of committing crime equally motivated most people (Lilly et al., 2015). Therefore, the primary question was, how do individuals resist such criminal temptations? The answer according to Hirschi (1969) involves the social control exerted upon an individual through social bonds that keep them from committing crime (Lilly et al., 2015). When social ties are weak or missing, crime is more likely to prevail.…

    • 154 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In my view, social bond theory, strain theory and differential association theory best explain people’s involvement in criminal behaviour. First, social bond theory suggests that strong attachments to society minimize and prevent deviation. It argues that the four dimensions of social bond are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. However, according to the theory, there is a strong link between crime and the two first variables which are attachment and commitment. We develop a feeling of responsibility when we get attached to others and commit to rules and regulations which lead to forming stronger social bonds and thus discourage us from committing deviant behaviours.…

    • 240 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to social bonding theory, when each bond is strong, and individual will refrain from criminal…

    • 1158 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the United States, one out of every 100 adults is incarcerated (Collier, 2014, p. 56). Strictly based on this number, it would appear that America has a rather large criminal population that needs acknowledging. However, upon closer inspection, it appears that conditioning may hold some responsibility for this long-standing and self-perpetuating issue. If we observe and take into consideration how criminal behavior and attitudes can spread through learning, and how the criminal justice system as it currently stands is ill prepared to reverse these learned attitudes and behaviors, we may begin to understand the larger, more systemic, issues. Theoretically, there is strong evidence that shows how differential association can provide insight…

    • 1575 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Japan and places like america differ, but one of the most differential aspects of the two is the crime rate. The crime rate in America seems to be skyrocketing compared to Japan. Irish’s control theory and the labeling theory sheds light onto the differences in crime. The crime rate differentiates because of culture. America’s ways of punishment on crime is not the same as Japans.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If I could compose an alternate plot for Mary Higgins Clark’s novel, No Place Like Home, I would have made Jeff MacKingsley to listen to Sergeant Clyde Earley’s plan, and search through the trash behind Henry’s without the search warrant. If Jeff accompanied Clyde, he wouldn’t have been cocky and made it so obvious that the evidence of the red paint used in the vandalism was found by leaving the trash can tipped over and open on the ground. Therefore, Henry would not have noticed that the police had gained insight that he was the one who had caused the vandalism, and without informing his boss of the problem, would have stayed alive. The police would find away around the warrant and find Henry guilty, however, they would have never had…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The degree of influence one receives from messages favoring deviant behavior varies by intensity, priority, frequency, and duration proposing that through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behavior” (enotes 2015). This theory focuses on how individuals learn to become criminals, but it does not concern itself with why they become criminals. The theory predicts that “an individual will choose the criminal path when the balance of definitions for law-breaking exceeds those for law-abiding. This will be reinforced if social association provides active people in the person 's life. The earlier in life an individual comes under the influence high status people within a group, the more likely the individual is to follow in their footsteps.…

    • 1721 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If an eccentric billionaire had volunteered to pay the tuition of the entire student body on the condition that drinking and drug use be completely eliminated. Knowing that cheating would not work and if anyone were to be drinking or have drug use take place then the offer would be null and void and everybody would go back to paying their own fees. Formal and informal controls could be used to prevent drinking and the use of drugs. Formal and informal controls are also known as social controls which is society’s restraint of norm-violating behavior (Barken, 2015, p. 155). There are two types of social control that can be used to help stop drinking and the use of drugs, those two types of social control are, formal control, and informal control.…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Anomie: A breakdown of social order as a result of a loss of standards and values. -This is important because the breakdown of social order is a key ingredient in the social control theory as the population becomes more dumbed down and less aware as the citizens stands and values descend. Differential Association Theory: people learn to commit crime as a result of contact with antisocial values, attitudes, and criminal behavior patterns. -This is important because as more people allow their standards and values to diminish, the more likely people are lenient to commit crimes as a result of lacking standards to want to live life unlike a criminal, and therefore, higher quantity of individuals committing crimes and contributing to this theory.…

    • 884 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics