Testing Social Learning Theory

1. Testing Social Learning Theory • Delinquent Peer Associations (Stimulant Survey)

2. Survey Says… • Delinquent Peer correlates moderately with… • Illicit stimulant use ever (.25) and in the past year (.15) • Marijuana use in past year (.35) • Academic fraud (.38) • Deviance/Crime (.49) • Binge drinking (.29)

3. Testing Social Learning Theory • Moral Beliefs (Definitions)

4. Survey Says… • Moral beliefs correlates moderately with… • Illicit stimulant use ever (.27) and in the past year (.22) • Marijuana use in past year (.39) • Academic fraud (.21) • Deviance/Crime (.44) • Binge drinking (.29)

5. Subcultural Theories ▪ Several Theories emerged from late 1950s through the 1960s ▪ Attempt to explain the formation and activity of delinquent subcultures ▪ Subculture defined as a group (such as a street gang) that holds different norms and values than mainstream society • Combined ideas from both strain theory (Merton) and differential association (Sutherland) –> “mixed models”

6. Specific Subcultural Theories 1. Status frustration (Cohen) 2. Differential opportunity theory (Cloward and Ohlin) 3. Focal concerns of the lower class (Miller) • In the interests of time and student sanity, we’ll just discuss Cloward and Ohlin as one example. This will be the only one to appear on the exam.

7. Differential Opportunity Theory ▪ Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin ▪ From Merton: Lack of legitimate opportunities for success causes strain ▪ Blocked economic aspirations lead to poor self-image ▪ Frustration leads to delinquency • From Sutherland: much delinquency requires access to “illegitimate means” for success • Delinquents learn criminal trades within neighborhood

8. Differential Opportunity Theory (2 of 2) ▪ Delinquent subcultures ▪ Criminal subculture ▪ Where illegitimate opportunities exist, delinquents seek economic gain, view crime as a career ▪ Conflict subculture ▪ Where no illegitimate opportunities exist, gangs fight over turf and place high value on violence ▪ Retreatist subculture ▪ “Double losers”: Emphasizes drug abuse or other forms of escape

9. Subcultural Theory Criticism ▪ Narrow scope ▪ Focus on lower-class boys ▪ Does not account for white-collar crime, middle-class crime, or female offending ▪ Are gangs are truly subcultures? ▪ Assumes almost perfect socialization to gang

10. Control Theories • Control = shorthand for informal social control • Theories covered • Hirschi (social bonds) • Gottfredson and Hirschi (low self-control) • Sampson and Laub (age graded social control)

11. Assumptions about “Motivation towards crime” • Strain theory: motivation from some sort of strain (e.g. blocked opportunity) • Learning theory: motivation from delinquent peers • Control theory: there is enough natural motivation towards crime • No need to “build in” extra motivation • Real question? Why aren’t we all criminal?

12. Types of Control • Direct Control • Direct punishments, rewards from parents, friends • Indirect Control • Refrain from deviance because you don’t want to risk friends, job, etc. • Internal Control • Good self-concept, self-control, conscience

13. Walter Reckless’ Containment Theoryas precursor to “control” theories Inner (Good self concept) Containment • Outer Containment • parents/school • supervision • Pushes and Pulls • poverty, anger,delinquent • subculture DELINQUENCY OUT HERE !!!!!!

14. ENTER TRAVIS HIRSCHI • Causes of Delinquency (1969) • Was an attack on other theories as much as a statement of his theory • Self-report data (CA high schools) • Measures from “competing theories” • This book was the first of its kind!

15. Social Bond Theory • “Bond” indicates “Indirect Control” • Direct controls (punishment, reinforcement) less important because delinquency occurs when out of parents’ reach (adolescence). • Attachment • Commitment (Elements of the social bond • Involvement are all related to each other) • Belief

16. Or, Put Another Way… The Social Bond Attachment Commitment Involvement Belief Crime Fun, thrilling, quick and easy satisfaction of desires

17. Hirschi’s Evidence in Favor of Bonds • Attachment • Attachment to parents (wish to emulate, identify with) • Commitment • Grades, educational aspirations • Belief • Techniques of Neutralizations

18. Criticisms of Hirschi’s Theory • Delinquents do form relationships • Attachment to delinquent peers or parents increases, rather than decreases delinquency • Which comes first, bonds or delinquency? • Bonds more salient for females, and early in adolescence

19. Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) • A General Theory of Crime • Same control theory assumptions • If we are all inclined to be deviant, why conform? • Because most of us develop “self-control” • “Internal control” • Developed by age 8, as the result of “direct control” from parents

20. Nature of Crime, Nature of Low Self-Control People with low self-control are therefore… Impulsive Risk-taking Physical (as opposed to mental) Low verbal ability Short-sighted Insensitive Criminal Acts… Provide immediate gratification of desires Are risky/thrilling Are easy/simple Require little skill/planning Provide few/meager long term benefits Result in pain/discomfort to a victim

21. The implications of low self-control • Explains “stability of criminal behavior” • But, how does it explain “aging out?” • Explains all crime and analogous behaviors • Analogous = same “nature” as criminal acts

22. Empirical Support • Moderate relationship between low self-control and both crime and analogous behaviors • Holds for both males and females • BUT • Not the “sole cause” of crime • May not explain white collar crime at all

23. Stimulant Survey and LSC

24. Survey Says… • Low Self-Control predicted (fairly well) • Illicit stimulant use ever (.25) and in the past year (.19) • Marijuana use in past year (.33) • Academic fraud (.22) • Deviance/Crime (.41) • Binge drinking (.33)

25. “Age Graded Theory of Informal Social Control” • Sampson and Laub • We will cover this again in the “lifecourse” theory section • Takes Hirschi’s (1969) theory and made it “age graded” • The specific elements of the social bond change over the life-course • Also includes elements of “direct control” • Also throws in some other stuff (integrated theory)

26. Sampson and Laub Childhood Adolescence Adulthood • Parenting • Supervision • Discipline • Social Bonds • Family • School • Delinquent Peers Context Delinquency Adult Crime Individual Differences Length of Incarceration • Social Bonds • Marriage • Good Job

27. Policy Implications • Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory • Target attachment, commitment, belief • Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory • Must focus on early childhood prevention • Train parents? • Sampson and Laub • Different targets for different ages • Importance of adult bonds (job, marriage)