ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL BOND THEORY

DE JESUS RODRIGO MIGUEL

BSCRIMINOLOGY 2-2
TRAVIS WARNER HIRSCHI
 TRAVIS WARNER HIRSCHI

• Travis Warner Hirschi was an American sociologist and an emeritus professor of sociology at the
University of Arizona. He helped to develop the modern version of the social control theory of
crime and later the self-control theory of crime.
•
Born: 15 April 1935, Rockville, Utah, United States
• Died: 2 January 2017, Tucson, Arizona, United States
• Nationality: American Known for: Social control theory
• Education: University of California, Berkeley
• Hirschi argues that the social bond a person maintains with society is divided into four main
elements: attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.
 ATTACHMENT

• refers to a person’s sensitivity to and interest in others.

• views parents, peers, and schools as the important social institutions with which a person
should maintain ties.
• Attachment to parents is the most important.
• Even if a family is shattered by divorce or separation, a child must retain a strong attachment
to one or both parents. Without this attachment, it is unlikely that feelings of respect for others
in authority will develop.
• FAMILY
• FRIENDS
• COMMUNITY
 COMMITMENT

• involves the time, energy, and effort expended in conventional lines of action, such as getting
an education and saving money for the future.
• If people build a strong commitment to conventional society, they will be less likely to engage
in acts that will jeopardize their hard-won position.
• Conversely, the lack of commitment to conventional values may foreshadow a condition in
which risk-taking behavior, such as crime, becomes a reasonable behavior alternative
• FUTURE
• CAREER
• SUCCESS
• PERSONAL GOALS
 INVOLVEMENT

• Heavy involvement in conventional activities leaves little time for illegal

behavior. When people become involved in school, recreation, and family,
Hirschi believes, it insulates them from the potential lure of criminal behavior,
whereas idleness enhances it.
• SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
• SPORTS
• RELIGIOUS GROUPS
• SOCIAL CLUBS
 BELIEF

• People who live in the same social setting often share common moral beliefs; they
may adhere to such values as sharing, sensitivity to the rights of others, and
admiration for the legal code.
• If these beliefs are absent or weakened, individuals are more likely to participate
in antisocial or illegal acts.
• HONESTY
• MORALITY
• FAIRNESS
• PATRIOTISM