Abstract
The central constructs of the general theory of crime are self-control and criminal behavior. This theory claims to be able to explain a wide range of criminal acts and “analogous” behavior (for example, divorces or accidents) with low self-control. The family is the most important institution to explain the development of self-control and delinquent behavior. The reciprocal attachment between parents and children is important, but it alone cannot produce self-control. For this, parental supervision and control are necessary. Only few studies that have empirically tested the assumptions of the general theory of crime have explicitly examined whether the relationship between parental rearing behavior and self-control corresponds to the theoretical Gottfredson and Hirschi’s assumptions.
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Siegmunt, O. (2016). The General Theory of Crime. In: Neighborhood Disorganization and Social Control. SpringerBriefs in Criminology(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21590-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21590-7_2
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