Social Control Theory and How It Influences Criminal Behaviors

Social Control Theory and How It Influences Criminal Behaviors
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Social Control Theory and How It Influences Criminal Behaviors
Social control focuses on how society affects individuals’ criminal behavior. In particular, the social control theory depicts that people engage in crime if they see the advantage and can invent and execute different criminal activities. Individuals can be motivated to engage in crime by the reward they expect without prior training. Travis Hirschi introduced the social control theory in 1969 (Costello & Laub, 2020). Based on this concept, people break the law because of the societal bond breakdown. Hirschi asserts that school, family, and other societal aspects can promote or diminish people’s propensity for engaging in deviant behaviors. Crime usually happens when the bonds from the above societal aspects are weakened or not well-established. Social control theory is based on the idea that individuals’ basic belief systems, values, morals, commitments, and relationships foster a lawful environment.
The four primary elements that comprise the societal bond include individuals' attachment to others, involvement in typical social behaviors, basic belief system, and the commitment to following rules. People commit crimes if one of the above aspects of their societal aspect breaks down. For instance, attachment plays a significant role in influencing a person's engagement in criminal activities. Individuals feel attached when they are interconnected in society. For example, children go to school to obtain knowledge and skills that will help them in the future. People go to church to get proper teachings on how they should live and treat each other. If all these institutions fail, it means that individuals' attachment is lost (Costello & Laub, 2020). Children would no longer get the education and have time to do other things that are not constructive, such as stealing. As a result, attachment is crucial since it brings people together and gives them a purpose and meaning in life.
Typical social behavior fosters people's involvement in various community activities. For example, young people play with each other from different communities, making them learn various things. Individuals who do not socialize with others or whose behaviors make them be isolated by society are likely to engage in criminal activities. In most cases, people get isolated due to antisocial behaviors. Suppose an individual is aggressive and has conflicts with others. That person is likely to isolate himself or herself since society neglects him or her. The individual fails to recognize things that bring him or her closer to community members. The isolation from the rest of the community fosters deviant behaviors (Sumter, Wood, Whitaker, & Berger-Hill, 2018). For instance, the person cannot participate in community activities. As time goes, such a person fails to recognize things that unite society. Specifically, they start by engaging in deviant behaviors and illegal activities. That way, the individual gets the satisfaction they want by doing something that goes against societal beliefs. In the end, the person becomes used to crime and does not find it as something illegal since they have already isolated or themselves from others.
Another social control theory element that promotes criminal activities is the lack of commitment to complying with set rules. Regulations in society foster a lawful environment. However, not all rules are written, and individuals' morals, beliefs, and values significantly affect how they engage in various activities. For instance, it can be difficult for a person to steal if the culture comes from considers such an act as a breach of societal values (Henry, Vandersip, & Anastasia, 2015). In that light, individuals who steal are likely to be punished and perceived as outcasts. That is why many people in th...