Stability of Self Control

• NCJ Number: 197962
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 30 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2002 Pages: 457-471
• Author(s): Michael G. Turner; Alex R. Piquero
• Editor(s): Kent B. Joscelyn
• Date Published: November 2002
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined one of the understudied questions in Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime (1990), the stability postulate which states that self-control is established by ages 8 to 10 and remains relatively stable over the life-course.

Abstract

Since its publication in 1990, Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime has generated both theoretical and empirical attention. However, empirical examination of one of the most central postulates, the stability postulate has been slow. Under this theory, it is contended that once established by ages 8 to 10, self-control remains relatively stable over the life-course. This study extended previous research and examined the stability postulate in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), Child-Mother data, a random probability sample of over 10,918 individuals followed from birth to age 27. The study restricted the analyses to a subsample of 513 individuals who reached the age of 15 by the end of 1994 and provided valid interviews during the years 1994, 1996, and 1998. Three key findings emerged from the study: (1) self-control differences between offenders and nonoffenders remained significantly different across six of the seven waves of data collection, offenders scored significantly lower than nonoffenders on behavioral and attitudinal measures of self control; (2) results were not consistently significant even though individuals scoring in the top quartile in the last two behavioral self-control assessments (i.e., very low self-control) scored higher (low self-control) on every attitudinal self-control assessment; and (3) Gottfredson and Hirschi’s predictions regarding sex differences in self-control were observed across all seven waves and both measurement protocols. The findings neither consistently support nor refute Gottfredson and Hirschi’s stability hypothesis. Future empirical research should use repeated and multiple measures of self-control throughout adulthood. Appendix and references