NCJ Number
206083
Journal
Theoretical Criminology Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2004 Pages: 33-55
Date Published
February 2004
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This article critiques measures of self-control previously used to test Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime (GTC) and offers a re-interpretation of self-control along with the requirements for its construct-valid measurement.
Abstract
In 1990, Gottfredson and Hirschi published their General Theory of Crime, beginning a rush of scholarly articles testing its empirical validity and its theoretical and practical implications. The author argues that these studies lack conceptual and empirical grounds to test the theory and are, therefore, simply speculative. The GTC holds that just one personality trait, self-control, is the core explanation for crime; thus, defining the term “self-control” theoretically and translating the definition into a measurable concept is of crucial importance to testing the theory. The research to date that has focused on the GTC has relied on a flawed conception of self-control. In critiquing current measurements of self-control, three different dimensions of self-control are considered: self-control as encompassing no elements at all; self-control as a trait of differential control; and self-control as manifested in behavior. The second half of the article turns to a discussion to how self-control should be defined and measured. Seven requirements for an adequate measure of self-control are enumerated based on the author’s understanding of self-control. The degree to which previous research has met these requirements is examined and the implications for evaluating the current status of the GTC are considered. Given the deficiencies in the current body of research that examines the GTC, it is doubtful that much is known at all about the ability of this theory to explain crime. Table, notes, references