Travis Hirschi's social control theory of juvenile delinquency

Social Control Theory of Juvenile Delinquency

Underlying Assumptions

Travis Hirschi's Social Control theory of deviance assumes that deviant behavior is largely a function of the connectedness of the individual to his or her society; more specifically, Hirschi's assumptions are that juvenile delinquency, and criminal deviance more generally, are inversely related to the following elements of connectedness between the individual and the community: involvement, commitment, attachment, and belief (Akers & Sellers, 2004; Huebner & Betts, 2002).

Strengths and Weaknesses of Social Control Theory

In many respects, Hirschi's Social Control Theory of deviance, criminality, and juvenile delinquency is completely consistent with the more general concepts of social psychology and the psychological development of individuals (Henslin, 2009). In that sense, it is difficult to argue that connectedness as defined by the four elements detailed by Hirschi is not substantially related to the degree to which individuals respect cultural norms and societal values. Naturally, the more connected the individual is to his society and community the more important it will be for him to adopt its social values and to fulfill the various behavioral expectations of individuals in that society. Conversely, individuals who lack involvement in their communities, who do not share a commitment, to the same ideals and expectations as those of their communities and society, who develop comparatively little attachment to the dominant values and norms of their societies, and who maintain fundamentally different beliefs than those generally espoused by their neighbors and community members are much more likely to act out in ways that are disapproved of or actually prohibited by the laws of their societies (Schmalleger, 2009).

To the extent there are weaknesses to Hirschi's Social Control Theory in relation to deviance, juvenile delinquency and crime, it is not that anything necessarily contradicts Hirschi's conclusions. Rather, the potential weaknesses in Hirschi's theory might be that they fail to account for other factors that might be significant in contributing to the development of the individual in terms of his or her relationship to society. Possible counterexamples to Hirschi's theory would include deviant behavior, juvenile delinquency, and criminality among individuals who exhibit high levels of all of the specific elements of connectedness described by Hirschi. In that regard, one would have to consider the proverbial straight -- A student or "model citizen" who is discovered to be leading a double life as a criminal or who suddenly perpetrates crimes that would have seemed completely out of character and that completely contradict the apparent connectedness of the individual to society and community.

Therefore, the fact that highly connected individuals do sometimes develop deviant, juvenile delinquent, and criminal behavior patterns does suggest strongly that even if Hirschi's Social Control Theory is valid, it is incomplete as an explanation for those types of behaviors. Other possible weaknesses include the fact that Hirschi's theory obviously does not apply where other causes are definitively identified, such as disadvantaged social position of families (Button, 2008) and environmental influences of deviant role models in the immediate community (Pinizzotto, Davis, & Miller, 2007).

Policy Implications

Notwithstanding the possibility that Hirschi's Social Control Theory may not necessarily provide a comprehensive explanation for all instances or pathways to the development of deviance, juvenile delinquency, and criminality in individuals, it likely suggests meaningful relationships between the elements of connectedness he outlined and those behaviors. The social policy implications from Hirschi's theory would be that one of the important strategies to reducing the development of unwanted behaviors in individuals would be to develop programs and methods of enhancing social connectedness along the four channels described by Social Control Theory. Specifically, early education and all public education should promote the development of good relationships between students and their families; they should provide maximum opportunities for the individual to develop interests in shared activities and interests in the community; and they should strive to intervene as early as possible whenever any aspect of apparent non-connectedness is observed in individuals.