Robbery Theory

Robbery is a crime that happens every day in our society. It usually leads to assault or murder. The question is what causes people to commit robbery, and which criminology theory affectedly describes the pattern. The theories that would explain criminals, and why they commit this particular crime are social process theories. The reason why these theories explain so well is that all human beings have different reasons for committing certain types of crimes. For instance all robbers have different motives. Frank Schmalleger explains in the book Criminology Today that “human development simultaneously occurs on many levels psychological, biological, familial, interpersonal, cultural, societal, and ecological so social development theories tend …show more content…
Self-control is something that you obtain early in life according to the general theory of crime (Schmalleger, p. 188). It also suggest that people seek pleasure and try to avoid pain. This goes right along with robbery, because people committing the crime are either seeking pleasure by obtaining power, wealth, or for self-pleasure. This explains why Gottfredson and Hirshchi stated “the offender is neither the diabolical genius of fiction nor the ambitious seeker of the American Dream often portrayed by other social scientists. Offenders appear to have little control over their own desires so when personal desires conflict with long-term interests, those who lack self-control often opt for the desires of the moment, thus contravening legal restrictions and becoming involved in crime (Schmalleger, p. 188). People that do not commit crimes have a grasp on their self-control, others that do commit crimes do not know how to maintain their self-control. The general theory of crime uses principles of biological theories. That self-control is …show more content…
Frank Schmalleger explains “situational action theory proposes that an individual’s ability to exercise self-control is an outcome of the interaction between his or her personal traits and the situation in which he or she takes part” (p. 189). Wikstom states that crimes are based off of moral actions, and that criminal actions can be clarified by “personal characteristics and the social setting (Schmalleger, p. 189). Robbers that rob for power, wealth, and self-pleasure all include self-control, but also involve the morals of the robber. If the robber has high morals, and can maintain their self-control then no matter how arousing the situation is to rob, the robber will not due to his morals and