Hirschis Social Bond Theory and Its Impact on the Juvenile Justice System

Hirschi's Social Bond Theory

Hirschi's social bonding theory argues that those persons who strong and abiding attachments to conventional society are less likely to deviate than persons who have shallow or weak bonds (Smangs, 2010). These bonds come in four interrelated forms, the first of which is attachment. Attachment, refers to the level of psychological affection one has for pro-social others and institutions. Parents and schools are of critical importance in this regard. Youths who form close attachments to their parents1 and schools will, by extension, experience greater levels of social control. The second type of bond is referred to as commitment. Commitment stresses the importance of the social relationships that people value, which they would not want to risk jeopardizing by committing criminal or deviant acts. People are less likely to misbehave when they know that they have something to lose. For juveniles, this could mean not wanting to look bad in front of friends, parents, or teachers for having committed a crime, something for which shame from those whose opinion of them matters would be a likely consequence. The third type of social bond is known as involvement, which relates to the opportunity costs associated with how people spend their time. Specifically, Hirschi tapped into the old philosophy that "idle hands are the devil's workshop" in that if people are spending their time engaged in some form of pro-social activity, then they are not, by definition, spending their time engaged in antisocial activity. The final type of social bond is belief, which refers to the degree to which one adheres to the values associated with behaviors that conform to the law. The assumption being that the more important such values are to a person, the less likely he or she is to engage in criminal/deviant behavior.

Discussion

The subject of peer relations and delinquency is often researched in criminology. A lack of consensus in the field has generated a long-standing debate between theoretical perspectives on the nature, content and significance of delinquents' peer relations. These perspectives can be broadly divided into the social disability model and the social ability model. The social ability model asserts delinquent behavior is learned through social interactions with others. Criminal behavior is understood as the outcome of a normal learning process. In contrast, the social disability model assumes that delinquents lack normal interpersonal skills, have trouble maintaining long-term, meaningful relationships, are devoid of compassion for others, and have low needs for affiliation and affection. Hirschi dismisses the social learning perspective on delinquent behavior claiming that the evidence for the social skills of delinquents is in many cases simply an assertion on the part of the investigator (Key Idea: Hirschi's Social Bond/Social Control Theory," NDI).

There are at least five tangible ways Hirschi's work has influenced the field of criminology. First, the comparative test between competing criminological ideas, using empirical data, has become commonplace in criminological research. Many believe this phenomenon has hindered our understanding of criminal and deviant behavior because its outright rejection of theoretical integration is inconsistent with the body of empirical evidence pointing to its utility. Second, Hirschi provided the field with a set of operational measures for certain key variables specified by each of the major theoretical traditions in criminology. Not only did he develop social bond items that have been used in a number of subsequent studies, but he also provided indicators of cultural deviance and strain that researchers have used to some extent ever since. Third, Hirschi's theory sparked an enormous level of interest among scholars seeking to test his theory. In fact, social bond/social control theory is one of the most widely tested theories in criminology, with well over 100 published tests to its credit. Fourth, by pitting theories against one another, Hirschi's work has had the effect of creating theoretical camps within criminology. Finally, Hirschi's theory has served as the foundation for two subsequent criminological perspectives that have become major traditions in the field of criminology. Sampson and Laub's life course theory drew heavily upon Hirschi's original notion of social bonds. Changes in criminal behavior could be explained by changes in age graded informal social control mechanisms. In essence, this perspective holds that while the kinds of social bonds that constrain our behavior change as we age it is still the principle of social bonding and the power of informal social controls that ultimately keep our behavior in check. Equally as important is Hirschi's work with Michael Gottfredson in their self-control theory. Those who lack self-control will be impulsive, shortsighted, prone to risk taking, and will seek the very kind of immediate gratification that criminal behavior provides (Key Idea: Hirschi's Social Bond/Social Control Theory," NDI).