The Interaction Between Self-Control and Perceived Sanction Risk: An Analysis From the Viewpoint of Different Theories

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Hirtenlehner
Keyword(s):  
Adult Development ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Action Theory ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Adolescent And Young Adult ◽  
Young Adult Development ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
The Impact

The present article studies the interplay of self-control and perceived sanction risk in crime causation. Several hypotheses are formulated. The General Theory of Crime suggests that sanction certainty effects are greater for individuals of high self-control. Their inability to devote thought to the negative long-term consequences of their behavior renders persons characterized by low self-control immune to the risk of formal punishment. From Situational Action Theory (SAT), it follows that sanction certainty effects are larger for persons with low self-control ability. Individuals with a poor capacity for self-control will more often feel tempted to engage in criminal behavior, which brings perceived sanction risk into play as a potential deterrent. The theory’s emphasis on the moral filter as a determinant of the nature of the perceived action alternatives implies additionally that the self-control/deterrence interaction may be stronger for those holding weak law-consistent moral beliefs. The various hypotheses are tested using longitudinal data from the British Peterborough Adolescent and Young Adult Development Study. Results provide more support for the propositions derived from SAT. An individual’s level of self-control conditions the impact of perceived sanction risk, with sanction certainty estimates being most influential among adolescents of low self-control. There is also some indication of a three-way interaction according to which the observed interplay of self-control and deterrence is most pronounced among persons characterized by weak morality.

Maternal incarceration penalty: an examination of the effect of maternal conviction and incarceration on childhood delinquency

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen N. Sobba ◽  
Brenda Prochaska ◽  
Emily Berthelot
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Delinquent Behavior ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
Property Destruction ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Several studies have reported the impact of paternal incarceration and criminal behavior on childhood delinquency; however, fewer studies have addressed the influence of maternal criminality on children’s behavioral outcomes. Integrating self-control and attachment theoretical frameworks, the purpose of this paper is to address the impact of mothers who have been stopped, arrested, convicted, and incarcerated in relation to their children’s delinquent behavior. Design/methodology/approach The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing data set was used to better understand this relationship. By using binary logistic regression, two types of delinquent behavior were assessed: destroying property and fighting. Findings The results revealed that mothers’ criminal behavior affected children’s fighting tendencies but did not significantly impact children’s tendency to destroy property. Furthermore, certain childhood antisocial traits and demographic characteristics revealed to also impact children’s delinquent behavior. From the results, implications and prevention strategies were drawn describing techniques to combat delinquency. Originality/value This research lays a foundation for future researchers to explore mother-child attachment and the transmission of low self-control from mother to child in relation to criminality. The current research is one of the first studies to specifically address how maternal criminal behavior affects their children’s tendency to engage in delinquency, specifically examining property destruction and fighting.

The Mediating Effect of Self-Control on Parenting and Delinquency: A Gendered Approach With a Multinational Sample

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 3058-3076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa R. Muftić ◽  
Alexander H. Updegrove
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Delinquency ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Self Report ◽  
General Theory Of Crime ◽  
Adolescent Students ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Violence Perpetration ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
Low Self Control

This study aims to clarify the relationships between parenting techniques, low self-control, and juvenile delinquency in Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime while controlling for alternative explanations of delinquency. We relied on a sample of 35,511 adolescent students from 31 countries from the International Self-Report Delinquency 2 Study. Results indicate that parenting exhibits a direct effect on adolescents’ violence perpetration and property offending, and that while self-control weakens the strength of this relationship, it fails to fully mediate it. Males reported lower levels of self-control, exposure to poorer parenting techniques, and higher rates of violence perpetration and property offending. The relationship between parenting, self-control, and juvenile delinquency was similar for females and males. These results provide evidence that parenting has important implications for adolescents’ involvement in delinquency above and beyond its influence on their level of self-control.

Race, Self-Control, and Drug Problems among Jail Inmates

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer De Li
Keyword(s):  
Racial Differences ◽  
Behavioral Problems ◽  
Criminal Behavior ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Jail Inmates ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
Drug Problems ◽  
The Impact

The main objectives of this study are to test racial differences in self-control and race-specific effects of self-control on drug-related problems. On the basis of prior research, it is hypothesized that both self-control and its effect on drug-related behavioral problems vary by race. Data collected from White, Black, and Hispanic inmates incarcerated in five local jails in the greater Philadelphia area were used to test these hypotheses. The results indicate significant racial differences in levels of self-control. However, the impact of self-control on drug problems did not differ significantly among the three racial groups. Overall, the findings support the argument of the general theory of crime that self-control maintains a constant and positive effect on deviant and criminal behavior across racial groups.

Workplace Cyberbullying: A Criminological and Routine Activity Perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 026839622110278
Author(s):  
Sixuan Zhang ◽  
Dorothy Leidner ◽  
Xin Cao ◽  
Ning Liu
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Spanning ◽  
Routine Activities ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Routine Activities Theory ◽  
Routine Activity ◽  
General Theory Of Crime ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
The U.S

Extant research on the antecedents of workplace cyberbullying pays little attention to the role of perpetrator traits in influencing workplace cyberbullying, as well as the unique occurrence context that distinguishes workplace cyberbullying with juvenile cyberbullying, workplace bullying, and adult cyberbullying in general. To fill these gaps, we consider the antecedents of workplace cyberbullying under the theoretical lens of the general theory of crime and routine activities theory. We build a model incorporating low self-control, a widely discussed perpetrator trait in criminology theories, with three types of routine activities representing the unique occurrence context for workplace cyberbullying--mWork, boundary spanning in ESM, and proactive email checking. We tested our model with 2025 employees in the U.S.. Our findings demonstrate that low self-control and the three routine activities are strong motivators for workplace cyberbullying. Our findings further show that the effect of low self-control on workplace cyberbullying is amplified by the three routine activities. The study contributes to our understanding of why workplace cyberbullying occurs and offers potential implications for managers interested in reducing incidences of workplace cyberbullying in their organization.

scholarly journals Differential Self-control Effects: Moral Filtering and the Subsidiary Relevance of Self-control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Hirtenlehner ◽  
Heinz Leitgöb
Keyword(s):  
Action Theory ◽  
Criminal Activity ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Moral Norms ◽  
Situational Characteristics ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Self Report Data ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Low Self Control

AbstractCriminological research has identified low self-control as major cause of criminal activity. However, astonishingly little is known about the individual and situational characteristics that affect the functioning of self-control in relation to crime. Recent theorizing, especially in the context of Situational Action Theory, suggests that the interplay of personal and contextual morality creates a morally preselected choice set whose composition determines the relevance of self-control. Guided by the ideas of differential self-control effects and a moral filtering of action alternatives, the present inquiry investigates whether the role of self-control in crime causation depends on the power of moral factors to exclude crime from the set of the considered behavioral options. We argue that the significance of an individual’s capacity for self-control increases with a growing weakness of the moral filter, reaching its maximum when both personal and setting morality encourage criminal activity. Analyses of self-report data on adolescent vandalism delinquency provide support for differential self-control effects. The general picture is that self-control ability matters most when the strength of the moral filter hits a low, which is when both an individual’s own moral rules and the moral norms of the setting facilitate offending. Further evidence suggests that crime contemplation is highest when individual morality and setting morality jointly encourage vandalism. There is also indication that trait self-control has a greater effect on vandalism delinquency at higher levels of crime contemplation. All these results accord with the notion of a subsidiary relevance of control.

Judicial corruption: the case of Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 926-939
Author(s):  
Vasudev Das
Keyword(s):  
Practical Implication ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Reasonable Doubt ◽  
Social Implication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Judicial Corruption ◽  
Causative Factors ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Low Self Control

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to diagnostically explore the phenomenon of judicial corruption in Nigeria, its causative factors and generate strategies such as sonic therapeutic intervention, among others, that would facilitate an amelioration of the situation. The judiciary which is supposed to be last hope of justice for the Nigerian citizenry has been proven beyond reasonable doubt to have been infected with the virus of corruption, and therefore, an urgent call for action to rectify the situation is imperative. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a qualitative approach rooted in case study tradition. Findings The findings showed that power and testosterone, cheating proclivity, family pressure, qualitative passion and ignorance, low self-control, inordinate kleptocratic desire, unrestrained mind and sensory modalities, phenomenological mindset and identity crisis as endogenous contributive factors of judicial corruption in Nigeria. Research limitations/implications The limitation of the study stemmed from the fact that inasmuch as a perception of corruption and corruption are cultural phenomena, the study results cannot be generalizable. Practical implications The practical implication of the research is rooted in the fact that the Nigerian judiciary can gain from the study results and recommendation(s) if implemented without fear or favor for the overall renewal of the judiciary and the nation at large. Social implications The study is geared toward ameliorating the Nigerian corrupt judiciary or repositioning the judiciary on its pivotal dignity, and hence, its social implication cannot be overemphasized inasmuch as a positive social change would prevail if the study results and recommendation(s) are aligned with and implemented. Originality/value Inquiry on judicial corruption through the lens of qualitative research with Nigeria as a case study is highly understudied, and hence, this research fills the gap in the financial crime literature.

Higher Education Transitions and Autism

2017 ◽  
pp. 281-290
Author(s):  
Scott Browning ◽  
Loren Pease
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Adolescent And Young Adult ◽  
Level Of Involvement ◽  
Young Adult Development ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
Residential Living

This chapter intends to examine the segment of adolescent and young adult development; particularly, how interactions with academic establishments create difficult challenges. In the first part of the chapter we review the ASD from neurological angle. Then, we discuss the general problems with counseling of those on the spectrum. The chapter then continues by examining the decisions that individuals on the spectrum and their parents must make. Parents need to make decisions with their children on the spectrum as to level of involvement; the specific concerns needed to be addressed are examined. This chapter also looks at the specific issues that institutions of higher learning need to address if they intend to label themselves as “autism-friendly institutions.” Each office within a college needs to make some adjustments in order to properly serve students on the autism spectrum, and this chapter examines the role of the counseling center, dean's office, academics and residential living.

Examining the Effect of Ineffective Parenting and Low Self-Control on Athletes’ PED Use

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-447
Author(s):  
Saeed Kabiri ◽  
Seyyedeh Masoomeh (Shamila) Shadmanfaat ◽  
Christopher M. Donner
Keyword(s):  
Deviant Behavior ◽  
Professional Sports ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
General Theory Of Crime ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
Different Levels

The prevalence of performance-enhancing drug (PED) use at different levels of professional sport has become an important social issue, particularly when considering recent high-profile incidents from professional sports and the Olympics. Due to the myriad of individual, team, and sociopolitical consequences that can stem from PED use, it becomes critical to study the etiology of PED involvement among athletes regarding this deviant behavior. Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime is one such theory that may aid in explaining this phenomenon. As such, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between effective parenting, self-control, and athletes’ use of banned PEDs. Survey data from 784 professional athletes in Iran were collected, and the findings indicated that ineffective parenting, low self-control capacity, and self-control desire had significant effects on PED use. In addition, moderation effects and gender analyses were examined. Specific findings, policy implications, and study limitations are discussed.

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