Self-Control, Risky Lifestyles, and Situation: The Role of Opportunity and Context in the General Theory

• NCJ Number: 218176
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice: An International Journal Volume: 35 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2007 Pages: 119-136
• Author(s): Stephen W. Baron; David R. Forde; Fiona M. Kay
• Date Published: March 2007
• Length: 18 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study of 125 homeless male street youths explored how low self-control, risky lifestyles, and their reactions to social circumstances influenced their involvement in violent behaviors as both offenders and victims.

Abstract

The study results indicated that particular subscales of low self-control influenced the way street youths reacted to criminal events and the likelihood that they would become involved in violence as either offenders or victims. The authors argue that self-control does not appear to be a unidimensional construct as suggested by Gottfredson and Hirschi. Instead, self-control appeared in this study to involve six distinct elements that had differing effects on violence involvement among the youth. The findings indicated that violent offending was predicted by the temper component of low self-control and by both behavioral measures of low self-control. Two other factors also emerged as significant in influencing street youths’ propensity to become involved in violence: (1) risky lifestyle, and (2) the situational dynamics of conflicts. The findings suggest that situational factors and learned responses for aggression can mediate the effects of low self-control for youths’ involvement in crime. The findings also suggest that certain components of self-control are important to understanding violent behavior. Participants were 125 youth who met the following criteria: (1) under the age of 24 years; (2) had left or finished school; and (3) had spent at least 3 hours a day, 3 days a week hanging around in the street or in the mall. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling. Interviews took place between May and July of 1995 in a midwestern Canadian city. Future research should continue to reach beyond self-control measures and integrate decision-making theories to help understand the causes of crime. Tables, figures, appendix, notes, references