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The Age-Graded Theory

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Imagine yourself building relationships and learning behaviors that can determine one’s life course. Individuals typically mature and develop responsibility through life experiences. Life experiences generally are categorized as positive or negative life experiences. These positive and negative life experiences can have an impact on the criminal mentality. A positive life experience could help criminals discontinue criminal activity for a short period. On the other hand, a negative life experience may result in a return to criminal behavior. A return to criminal behaviors can lead to increased violent actions by the criminals. It is important that individuals learn from life experiences in order to model social accepted behaviors. Their social, …show more content…

Turning points like marriage, career, and military services are events which develop maturity and responsibilities that are critical in the age-graded theory. Siegal and Welsh state “according to the age-graded theory, people can knife off from crime if they receive the proper social support” (Siegal and Welsh, 2014, p. 135). The age-graded theory gives examples of life courses that seek to explain the interaction between individual factors and antisocial behaviors. The turning points in the life course, can identify the events and incorporate the relationship to social interactions which determine whether one chooses crime or noncriminal activity. The social development model is a life-course theory that discusses how human behavior is developed during life-time. The model demonstrates different risk factors in one’s environment which may lead to antisocial or criminal behaviors. The interactional theory discusses social cognition which focuses on human behaviors and environment factors. The theory explains how delinquent activities can be traced to negative social bonds, negative beliefs and values, and a commitment to the criminal …show more content…

Social capital is the idea how social relationships form a functional society. The accumulation of social capital improves the likelihood of a positive lifestyle and predictable positive behaviors. Children who accumulate social capital inhibit the likelihood of deviant actions while the loss of social capital increases the likelihood of deviant behavior. Siegal and Welsh state “losing social capital has a cumulative effect, when kids are exposed to more disadvantages the likelihood of their entering a delinquent and criminal career increases” (Siegal and Welsh, 2014, p. 137). Another important element of social capital involves romantic relationships. Positive romantic relationships, promote positive social interactions and positive life-course

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