Testing Social Learning Theory

Delinquent Peer Associations (Stimulant Survey)
What proportion of your closest friends…
Cheated on exams or papers
Sold marijuana
Sold drug other than marijuana
Pirated things off the Internet
Bought something they thought might be stolen
Stole something worth less than $50
Stole something worth more than $50
Purposely damaged property without the owner’s permission
Survey Says…
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Delinquent Peer correlates moderately with…
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Illicit stimulant use ever (.25) and in the past year (.15)
Marijuana use in past year (.35)
Academic fraud (.38)
Deviance/Crime (.49)
Binge drinking (.29)
Testing Social Learning Theory

Moral Beliefs (Definitions)
How wrong is it to…
Cheat on exams or papers
Sell marijuana
Sell drug other than marijuana
Pirate things off the Internet
Buy something they thought might be stolen
Steal something worth less than $50
Steal something worth more than $50
Purposely damage property without the owner’s permission
Survey Says…

Moral beliefs correlates moderately with…
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Illicit stimulant use ever (.27) and in the past year (.22)
Marijuana use in past year (.39)
Academic fraud (.21)
Deviance/Crime (.44)
Binge drinking (.29)
Subcultural Theories
Several Theories emerged from late 1950s through the
1960s
▪
Attempt to explain the formation and activity of
delinquent subcultures
Subculture defined as a group (such as a street gang) that
holds different norms and values than mainstream society
▪
▪
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Combined ideas from both strain theory (Merton) and
differential association (Sutherland) –> “mixed models”
Specific Subcultural Theories
1. Status frustration (Cohen)
2. Differential opportunity theory (Cloward and Ohlin)
3. Focal concerns of the lower class (Miller)

In the interests of time and student sanity, we’ll just
discuss Cloward and Ohlin as one example. This will be
the only one to appear on the exam.
Differential Opportunity Theory
Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin
▪
From Merton: Lack of legitimate opportunities for success
causes strain
▪
▪
▪
Blocked economic aspirations lead to poor self-image
Frustration leads to delinquency
From Sutherland: much delinquency requires access to
“illegitimate means” for success


Delinquents learn criminal trades within neighborhood
Differential Opportunity Theory
(2 of
2)
Delinquent subcultures
▪
Criminal subculture
▪
▪
Where illegitimate opportunities exist, delinquents seek
economic gain, view crime as a career
Conflict subculture
▪
▪
Where no illegitimate opportunities exist, gangs fight over turf
and place high value on violence
Retreatist subculture
▪
▪
“Double losers”: Emphasizes drug abuse or other forms of
escape
Subcultural Theory Criticism
▪
Narrow scope
▪
▪
▪
▪
Focus on lower-class boys
Does not account for white-collar crime, middle-class
crime, or female offending
Are gangs are truly subcultures?
Assumes almost perfect socialization to gang
Control Theories

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Control = shorthand for informal social control
Theories covered

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Hirschi (social bonds)
Gottfredson and Hirschi (low self-control)
Sampson and Laub (age graded social control)
Assumptions about “Motivation towards
crime”

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Strain theory: motivation from some sort of strain (e.g.
blocked opportunity)
Learning theory: motivation from delinquent peers or
other learning experience

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Critique: if all crime is “learned,” where does it originate?
Control theory: there is enough natural motivation
towards crime
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No need to “build in” extra motivation
Real question? Why aren’t we all criminal?
Types of Control

Direct Control
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Indirect Control

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Direct punishments, rewards from parents, friends
Refrain from deviance because you don’t want to risk friends,
job, etc.
Internal Control

Good self-concept, self-control, conscience
Walter Reckless’ Containment Theory
as precursor to “control” theories
Inner
Containment
(Good self concept)
Outer Containment
•parents/school
•supervision
Pushes and Pulls
• poverty, anger,delinquent
subculture
DELINQUENCY
OUT HERE !!!!!!
ENTER TRAVIS HIRSCHI

Causes of Delinquency (1969)

Was an attack on other theories as much as a statement of his
theory
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ORGANIZED theory into strain/anomie, learning, and control
Criticism/attack on the other traditions and support for control
Self-report data (CA high schools)
Measures from “competing theories”
This book was the first of its kind!
Social Bond Theory

“Bond” indicates “Indirect Control”
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Direct controls (punishment, reinforcement) less important
because delinquency occurs when out of parents’ reach
(adolescence).
Attachment
Commitment
Involvement
Belief
(Elements of the social bond
are all related to each other)
Or, Put Another Way…
The Social
Bond
Attachment
Commitment
Involvement
Belief
Crime
Fun, thrilling,
quick and easy
satisfaction of
desires
Hirschi’s Evidence in Favor of Bonds

Attachment


Commitment

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Attachment to parents (wish to emulate, identify with)
Grades, educational aspirations
Belief

Techniques of Neutralizations
Criticisms of Hirschi’s Theory
1.
2.
3.
4.
Delinquents do form relationships (not “cold and
brittle”).
Attachment to delinquent peers or parents increases,
rather than decreases delinquency
Which comes first, bonds or delinquency?
Bonds more salient for females, and early in
adolescence. Not strongly related to crime.
Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990)

A General Theory of Crime



Same control theory assumptions
If we are all inclined to be deviant, why conform?
Because most of us develop “self-control”

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“Internal control”
Developed by age 8, as the result of “direct control” from
parents
Nature of Crime, Nature of Low Self-Control
Criminal Acts…
People with low self-control
are therefore…
Provide immediate gratification
of desires
Impulsive
Are risky/thrilling
Are easy/simple
Require little skill/planning
Risk-taking
Physical (as opposed to mental)
Low verbal ability
Provide few/meager long term
benefits
Short-sighted
Result in pain/discomfort to a
victim
Insensitive
The implications of low self-control

Explains “stability of criminal behavior”


But, how does it explain “aging out?”
Explains all crime and analogous behaviors

Analogous = same “nature” as criminal acts
Empirical Support

Moderate relationship between low self-control and both
crime and analogous behaviors
Holds for both males and females

BUT
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Not the “sole cause” of crime
May not explain white collar crime at all
Stimulant Survey and LSC
How much do you agree wit h the following….
I am good at resisting temptationg
I have a hard time breaking bad habits
I am lazy
I say inappropriate things
I do certain things that are bad for me if they are fun
I refuse things that are bad for meg
I wish I had more self-discipline
People would say that I have iron self-disciplineg
Pleasure and fun sometimes keep me from getting work done
I have trouble concentrating
I am able to work effectively toward long-term goalsg
Sometimes I can’t stop myself from doing something, even if I
know it is wrong
Survey Says…
Low Self-Control predicted (fairly well)…
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Illicit stimulant use ever (.25) and in the past year (.19)
Marijuana use in past year (.33)
Academic fraud (.22)
Deviance/Crime (.41)
Binge drinking (.33)
“Age Graded Theory of Informal
Social Control”

Sampson and Laub

We will cover this again in the “lifecourse” theory section
Takes Hirschi’s (1969) theory and made it “age graded”

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The specific elements of the social bond change over the life-course
Also includes elements of “direct control”
Also throws in some other stuff (integrated theory)
Sampson and Laub
Childhood
Context
Individual
Differences
Adolescence
Parenting
• Supervision
• Discipline
Social Bonds
• Family
• School
Delinquent Peers
Delinquency
Length of
Incarceration
Adulthood
Adult Crime
Social Bonds
•Marriage
•Good Job
Policy Implications

Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory

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Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory

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Target attachment, commitment, belief
Must focus on early childhood prevention
Train parents?
Sampson and Laub
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Different targets for different ages
Importance of adult bonds (job, marriage)