Self-Control Theory: Theoretical and Research Issues

Criminological inquiry consistently identifies a gender difference in offending rates, which are also evident among certain forms of cybercrime. The gender difference in cybercrime offending is particularly large within computer hacking, though few have specifically addressed this issue through applications of criminological theory. The current study attempted to account for the gender disparity in hacking through a test of power-control theory, which considers the role of class and family structure. This analysis also incorporated an extension of power-control theory through the influence of low self-control. Using data from the Second International Self-Report of Delinquency study (ISRD-2), logistic regression analyses were estimated, producing partial support for both theories to account for hacking. Implications for theory and research were explored in detail.

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Self-Control Theory

Encyclopedia of Adolescence ◽

10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_597 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 2541-2542

Author(s):

Roger J. R. Levesque

Keyword(s):

Control Theory ◽

Self Control

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Evaluating Self-Control Theory Among the Deaf Community

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology ◽

10.1177/0306624x211049186 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0306624X2110491

Author(s):

Tony R. Smith ◽

Jason D. Scott ◽

Judy L. Porter ◽

LaVerne McQuiller Williams

Keyword(s):

Control Theory ◽

Hard Of Hearing ◽

Self Control ◽

Child Rearing ◽

Deaf Community ◽

Effective Parenting ◽

Parental Management ◽

Wide Range ◽

Rule Breaking ◽

The Relationship

This study evaluates the generality of self-control theory with a previously untested cultural group rarely studied by criminologists, the Deaf community. Survey data ( n = 428) from participants attending a university that houses a college for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing were compared with a sample of “hearing” students. The findings support Gottfredson and Hirschi’s cultural invariance thesis as self-control was consistently able to predict a wide range of rule-breaking behaviors among the culturally distinct groups examined. However, several unexpected results challenge the parental management thesis. In particular, exposure to effective parenting techniques was a significant contributor to variations in self-control for the hearing, but not the Deaf sample. Additionally, self-control did not fully mediate the relationship between child-rearing experiences and norm violating behaviors for the Deaf sample. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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