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Social Process Theory: Social Control Theory

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Social process theory has several subdivisions including: social control theory, social learning theory and social reaction (labeling) theory (will only focus on social control theory). Social control theory insinuates every person has the possibility of becoming a criminal, but most people are influenced by their bonds to society. It contends that individuals obey the law and are less likely to commit crime if they have: learned self-control, attachment (to family, friends, peers, education, etc.), commitment (to school, learning, etc.), involvement (in leisure activities, sports, etc.), and belief (those that are positive). According to social control theory, an individual is more likely to be criminal/deviant if they are detached and alienated …show more content…

For example, Aaron Hernandez was born in Bristol, Connecticut and seemed to have all the criteria to not be a criminal (attachment to family/peers, commitment to school and football, religious/positive beliefs, and involved in activities). When his father passed, he got involved in gang activity. Though this didn’t result in criminal activity right away, it soon would over time. Hernandez went to the Florida for college (no problems), then back to Massachusetts to play for the Patriots. It was here that his attachment to his deviant, gang peers (taking the place of his late father) caused him to go back into gangs and commit murder. Why did Mr. Hernandez turn to crime, even though he shouldn’t be a criminal, according to social control theory? Though this theory formulates some valid arguments, it does not tell the whole story when it comes to crime. …show more content…

Founded by Karl Marx, conflict theory conjectures that social order is sustained through wealth and power and constant class conflict (subduing the poor by keeping them away from the limited resources). The resulting conflict and inequalities between the classes result in crime, according to Marx. Social conflict theorists use the criminal justice system to support their argument. The elite class passes laws to benefit themselves (and they are also judged differently, more leniently). OJ Simpson was able to get off for the murder of Nicole Brown (the court said “he didn’t do it,” but he was able to get off because of his wealth and famous lawyers). These benefits are not accessible to the proletariat class. Just like social control theory, conflict theory may explain some aspects of crime, but not the entire

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Why is crime such a large part of our everyday society? Since the beginning of time, crime has been a large part of history, which gradually increased throughout the years, and continues today in everyday life. Crime is something that people do out of either force, impulse, fun, by accident, or their environment. Some people have been raised since childhood in areas where crime rates were at an high and maybe that caused them to follow what they learned while growing up and pursuing crimes as well. Malcolm Gladwell, author of Power of Context: Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime, mentions how these key concepts shape the way in which crimes are performed through their involvement with their environment and communities.

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This theory suggests that the motivation behind crime for a control theorist does not center on pressure resulting from negative affective states but rather the absence of important relationships (Hirschi 1969). With the absence of that relationship one is more prone to be involved in crime (Hirschi 1969). The absence of an important relationship in this case would apply to Aaron Hernandez and his father. Prior to his father’s death Aaron Hernandez never used nor abused any form of drugs. Aaron’s father was his world and kept him headed on the right path.

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Karl Max developed conflict theory that suggests that people are in competition with one another over resources, power, and inequality. The criminal law aspect of the theory can be defined as a theory that assumes that society is based primarily on conflict between competing interest groups and that criminal law and the criminal justice system are used to control subordinate groups (Bohm & Haley, 2009). Examples of the competition between groups can include but not be limited to the rich against the poor, management against labor, whites against minorities, men against women, and adults against children (Bohm & Haley, 2009). Conflict theorists assert that social order is maintained by authority backed by the use of force (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2006). They assert that the privileged classes hold legal power and use the legal system to make others obey their will.

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Criminal and conflict gang whose primarily intent of crimes for tangible gains. Social structure theorists consider that the main components to illegal behavior are the ascendancy of social and economic influences that are distinguished in rundown communities where the population is predominantly lower-class citizens (Siegel, 2010). This following theory goes into helping us comprehend ways the human behavior, is the result of physical

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This theory is also based upon four concepts or elements found with social bonds: attachment, commitment, belief, and involvement, all of which contribute to criminal behavior. Social bonds are the interpersonal relationships we form with family, teachers, friends, employers and even neighbors. Self-control also plays a part in this theory because if a person does not possess self-control, the person is more prone to engaging in criminal activity because they do not want to violate social norms or hurt others. The stronger these elements are; the less likely criminal behavior takes

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Hirschi presumed that the answer to his question is that individuals who are highly socially integrated, or have a strong bond to society, are less willing than others to exhibit criminal, delinquent or deviant behaviours due to the risk of negative repercussions (Costello, 2010). Among the most influential of these repercussions are the informal punishments, such as the disapproval of those whose opinions are valued, rather than the formal punishments administered by the criminal justice system (Costello, 2010). It is further outlined that there are four elements to social bond. The first element of social bond is known as attachment, referring to the level of sensitivity an individual is seen to exhibit in reference to the opinion of others

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Social process theory has several subdivisions including: social control theory, social learning theory and social reaction (labeling) theory (will only focus on social control theory). Social control theory insinuates every person has the possibility of becoming a criminal, but most people are influenced by their bonds to society. It contends that individuals obey the law and are less likely to commit crime if they have: learned self-control, attachment (to family, friends, peers, education, etc.), commitment (to school, learning, etc.), involvement (in leisure activities, sports, etc.), and belief (those that are positive). According to social control theory, an individual is more likely to be criminal/deviant if they are detached and alienated (from friends, education, family, etc.),

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Social learning theory and social bonding theory are two theories that may be compared and contrasted because they both overlap and differ. Although these theories have their similarities and differences, one theory may prove to be more convincing in terms of applying the theory to the understanding of crime and delinquency. Social learning theory refers to Akers’ theory of crime and deviance. Akers attempted to specify the mechanism and processes through which criminal learning takes place by explaining crime and deviance; he did this in such a way that the likelihood of conforming or deviant behavior based on the influence of an individual’s history of learning was accounted for. This theory was based off Sutherland’s differential association theory, which had nine propositions outlining the process by which individuals acquire attitudes favorable to criminal or delinquent behavior with the basic idea that people tend to associate with others in which they come into contact.

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Social learning theory combines cognitive learning theory and behavioral learning theory. Social learning theory contributes many other theories. Most crimes come from people who was influenced by their peers who also do crimes. Crimes are illegal acts against the law. The social learning theory criticisms are individuals and especially children.

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Which gave the higher class and the Marxists the way of thinking the lower class people would make all the crimes. The only time they would be treated at the higher level is when they were offered money. For instance, when Dounia is with Luzhin and the only reason why she would marry is for the money and he treats her in the higher class by saying she would be the most dependable wife compared to anyone else. Even when Svidrigailov’s wife dies and he gets all her money, knowing what he did to Dounia when he tries to sleep with her and force her to marry him, he offers her so much money only to marry him and not do anything but basically be a housewife. She gets treated as the higher class that way but getting the money and not having to do anything but be a

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This is where the social theory comes in to play and approaches this relationship in a different way. Developed in 1969 by Travis Hirschi, social control theory attempts to answer the ultimate question of why we all do not commit crimes. Social control theories are theories of socialization in which they consider the extent to which individuals learn certain habits, attitudes and perspectives of a society. Hirschi suggests that individuals who have a strong and flexible bond to society will be far less likely to engage in criminal activities or delinquent behaviors, whereas those who have weak bonds will. In other words, the health of a group is determined by how well all the members of that group conform to the group’s norms.

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Social process theory depends on the interaction between individuals and society as an explanation and is also known as interactionist perspective. This theory assumes that everyone has the potential to violate the law and that criminality is not an innate human characteristic but is instead a belief that criminal behavior is learned by interaction with others (Schmalleger, 2012). Social process feels the socialization process that occurs because of group membership is the main way through which learning occurs (Schmalleger, 2012). Social process theory views criminality as people’s interactions with various organizations, institutions, and processes in society (Siegel, 2000). This theory feels that people from all areas have the potential

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One of the most analyzed theories in criminology today is the social learning theory. The social learning theory derives from the differential association theory by Dr. Edward Sutherland. The social learning theory of criminology says that individuals learn from the community around them. This happens in two ways by differential association and differential reinforcement. Differential association is the theory that individuals learn values and behaviors related with crime.

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Society within the boundary unites against those outside the boundary, therefore strengthening the solidarity of the society. According to sociologists, crime is a function of inequality. The more inequality seen in a society, the more crime

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