Social Control Theory Report

SOCUL CONTROL THEORY AND DELINQUENCY*
APA References
MICHAEL D . WIATROWSKI
Wiatrowski, M. D., Griswold, D. B., & Roberts, M.
DAVID B . GRISWOLD
K. (1981). SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY AND
Florida Atlantic University
MARY K . ROBERTS
DELINQUENCY. American Sociological Review,
University of Florida
46(5), 525-541.
Hirschi 's social control theory proposes that delinquents fail to form or maintain a bond to society consisting of attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.
Using data from the Youth in Transition Study, the present report develops and tests multivariate models of social control theory which simultaneously consider how the four bond elements operate in relation to delinquency. Factor analysis and communality analysis
Those represented on this low-status orientation factor are also unlikely to expect to complete high school or attend college.

The fourth factor appears to tap school involvement, including the positive school-attitudes index and the feeling that
Our variables were chosen as reasonable teachers take a personal interest in that measures of Hirschi 's constructs, and individual. This dimension also taps a considerable efforts were taken to exam- "motivational" element, in which the ine the psychometric properties of these youth is willing to discuss homework with variables. The items assumed to represent friends and voluntarily do extra school work. The final three factors explain only a
^ The association of extensive dating with a host of youthiiji behaviors which do not conform to con- small portion of the remaining variance. ventional adult values is well-supported in the lit- Factor V relates to parental attachment. erature (see Hirschi, 1969:163-71; Galvin, 1975; and Factor VI suggests the existence of a
Coleman, 1961). However, Bealer, Willits, and peer-attachment element of the
The direct and indirect contributions of the background variables (SES and ability) are of interest.
As noted by Hirschi (1969), social class has a tiny and nonsignificant total association with delinquency. When other variables are considered simultaneously, however, SES paradoxically makes a modest but significant positive contribution to the amount of self-reported delinquent behavior, Hartshorne and May 's tribution is the Beta weight in a regression equation which includes the causally prior but not intervening variables at that stage, or inclusion level (cf. Nie et al., 1975:375) of the equation, while the inditect effects ate those effects which are transmitted via intermediary variables.

Studies in Deceit (1928) provides important insight into this relationship by documenting the association between honesty and intelligence. Youth who are from higher status backgrounds and are more intelligent may report their deviant behavior more completely, accounting