scholarly journals A Critical Overview of the Geometry of Fraud and a Model Proposal within the Framework of Situational Action Theory

2022 ◽  
pp. 93-116
Author(s):  
Şebnem YAŞAR
Keyword(s):  
Action Theory ◽  
Situational Action Theory ◽  
Critical Overview

scholarly journals Can Situational Action Theory Explain the Gender Gap in Adolescent Shoplifting? Results From Austria

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Hirtenlehner ◽  
Kyle Treiber
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Action Theory ◽  
Student Survey ◽  
Situational Action Theory

Although shoplifting is one of the crimes with the smallest gender gap among all offense types, most studies still conclude that males steal from shops more frequently than females. The roots of the gendered distribution of shoplifting have not yet been satisfactorily explained. This work investigates whether situational action theory (SAT) can account for males’ greater involvement in shoplifting compared to females and if the propensity–exposure interaction that is at the heart of the theory applies to both genders. Results from a large-scale student survey conducted in Austria suggest that SAT generalizes to both genders and that it is well suited to explain why males are more likely to shoplift than females.

The nature and role of morality in situational action theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 147737082097709
Author(s):  
Jennifer Barton-Crosby
Keyword(s):  
Human Nature ◽  
Action Theory ◽  
Moral Rule ◽  
Personal Morality ◽  
Rule Breaking ◽  
Situational Action Theory ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Perception Of Action

For situational action theory (SAT), morality is key to the definition of crime and the explanation for why and how acts of crime happen: acts of crime are acts of moral rule-breaking and personal morality guides individuals’ perception of moral rule-breaking as an option before controls become relevant. However, the nature and role of morality in SAT can be misread. Within this article I respond to misinterpretations of the theory by elaborating and adding further context to the concept of morality in SAT. I contend that the root of misunderstanding is grounded in alternative assumptions regarding human nature: SAT assumes a fundamentally rule-guided human nature, whereas the prevailing view within criminology is that people are primarily self-interested. In this article I delineate SAT’s assumption of a rule-guided human nature and set out how this assumption informs the definition of crime and personal morality in the theory. I further specify the nature and role of morality in the perception of action alternatives, and in so doing distinguish SAT from theories that view constraint as the measure of morality. Finally, I develop and clarify SAT’s position on the relationship between morality and the law.

scholarly journals Adolescent Offending and the Segregation of Poverty in Urban Neighbourhoods and Schools: An Assessment of Contextual Effects from the Standpoint of Situational Action Theory

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lieven Pauwels
Keyword(s):  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Action Theory ◽  
School Context ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Multilevel Modelling ◽  
Contextual Effects ◽  
School Level ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Situational Action Theory ◽  
Adolescent Offending

Contextual research on adolescent offending is primarily based on the idea that residential areas provide a major ecological setting that (indirectly) shapes observed differences in adolescent offending. The social disorganisation/collective efficacy perspective has tried to explain why structural disadvantage of residential areas affects residents' involvement in offending. On the other hand, contextual research has also been conducted within the school setting. This separate contextual approach is problematic as it does not reflect the reality of adolescents' lives. Adolescents are exposed to different ecological settings. They are also exposed to many other settings that may provide opportunities to offend, as outlined in the situational action theory (SAT) of crime causation. This study contributes to the literature on the urban context of offending in three ways. First, the effects of adolescents' residential neighbourhood and school context on adolescent offending are assessed simultaneously. Second, this study elaborates on SAT from a cross-level point of view. Third, this contribution makes use of non-hierarchical multilevel modelling, which is a statistically correct method of testing hypotheses that involve multiple contexts. Our study revealed the existence of small contextual effects of school-level disadvantage, whereas the effect of neighbourhood-level disadvantage is entirely due to neighbourhood composition.

Situational Action Theory and School Bullying: Rethinking the Moral Filter

2020 ◽  
pp. 001112872097431
Author(s):  
Weidi Liu ◽  
Geping Qiu ◽  
Sheldon Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Action Theory ◽  
School Bullying ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Moral Exclusion ◽  
Conditional Effects ◽  
Personal Morality ◽  
Situational Action Theory ◽  
Different Levels

Utilizing a sample from Chinese schools, we test the key ingredients of Situational Action Theory within the context of school bullying in a non-Western culture. The results show that morality has a robust effect on bullying behaviors, whereas control mechanisms (i.e., self-control and deterrence) have little restraining effect when personal morality is low. Our findings, together with prior mixed findings regarding conditional effects of control mechanisms, suggest that the moral filter may work differently for behaviors associated with different levels of stigmatization. We speculate that, for less stigmatized behaviors, “habitualization” easily materialize but “moral exclusion” does not, and thus controls exert stronger impact when morality is higher. Implications for the theory and directions for future research are discussed.

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