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Social Control Theory

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Encyclopedia of Adolescence

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One of the major theoretical and empirical developments in developmental criminology (among other related fields) has been the formulation and testing of a life-course theory of informal social control. This approach to understanding why individuals commit crime or other types of problem behavior emphasizes informal vis-à-vis formal social control. The latter form of control focuses on state sanctions as incarceration, policing, surveillance, and other ways a government can enforce conformity. Informal social control theories complement the formal, state control as it emphasizes social bonds between an individual and society and, in brief, suggests that individuals engage in problem behaviors when those bonds are either weak or broken (Hirschi 1969; Sampson and Laub 1993).

The most widely examined conceptualization of informal social control theories is Hirschi’s (1969). Hirschi’s social control theory states that strong social bonds to conventional social institutions inhibit...

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

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  1. Roger J. R. Levesque
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Correspondence to Roger J. R. Levesque .

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  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

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Levesque, R.J.R. (2011). Social Control Theory. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_410

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_410

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