Hirschi's Social Bond Theory

Social Bond Theory

Travis Hirschi created the Social Bond Theory in 1969. Hirschi proposes that people don’t commit deviant acts because of social bonds with others that keep them from committing these crimes. The social bond that Hirschi talks about is made up of four parts. The first part is attachment which is the feeling that one has towards family and friends that make one care what other people think about that person. For example, you don’t want to act nasty to your parents in front of others because others might view one as disrespectful. The second part is commitment where a person will think if the deviant behavior is a respectable way to proceed. Specifically, people that place school, work, and social activities as a center point in their lives would be less likely to engage in crime. The factor of involvement, which is the third point, is a person’s choice to get involved in conventional versus deviant behavior. People that spend more time doing activities like softball practice or field hockey practice don’t have time to commit a crime. As a result, they are productive in other socially acceptable ways. The last part that

For instance, juvenile gangs provide an environment in which young people learn to become criminals. These gangs glorify violence, retaliation, and crime as a means to achieving social status. Gang members learn to be deviant as they embrace and conform to their gang 's norms. Although this is not always the fault of these gang members’ parents, they should be held accountable for their actions to a certain extent. Not only parents of gang members, but any child that shows the disruptive deviant behavior, both the child and parents should be held accountable. Meanwhile, parent’s need to be involved in their children’s lives by making sure they stay out of trouble. Parents should be held accountable for their children both criminally and