Social Bonds, Self-Control, and Adult Criminality: A Nationally Representative Assessment of Hirschi's Revised Self-Control Theory

• NCJ Number: 235281
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 38 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2011 Pages: 584-599
• Author(s): Robert G. Morris; Jurg Gerber; Scott Menard
• Date Published: June 2011
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): AA11949; MH27552; 78-JN-AX-003
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP); US Dept of Health and Human Services; Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reviews recent modifications to the self-control theory.

Abstract

Recent modifications to self-control theory suggest that influential factors (bonds) equate to self-control in the calculation of whether or not to engage in deviant behavior. Hirschi argued that self-control should fare better as a theory when it is operationalized as the number and salience of an individual's social bonds, rather than as a cognitive scale, or count of previous acts, as suggested by the original theory. This study extends the control theory literature by assessing the impact of redefined self-control, as well as attitudinal self-control, on adult criminal behavior. Data analyzed were from Waves 10 and 11 of the National Youth Survey Family Study. Findings suggest that both forms of self-control (new and old) are equivalently predictive of adult crime, yet it is unlikely that they are capturing the same phenomenon during adulthood. Implications for control theory are discussed. (Published Abstract)