Beyond Self-Control : Analysis and Critique of Gottfredson & Hirschi's General Theory of Crime (1990).: Some Considerations on Theory Construction and
Overview
Throughout the 20th century numerous explanations
for crime and deviance have emerged that have been offered as better explanations
than other theories and perspectives. Yet, the impact of criminological theorizing on
public policy remained insignificant. In this situation Michael Gottfredson and
Travis Hirschi presented their book "A General Theory of Crime" and suggested
self-control theory. Their theory arrived on the scene with a "make-up" of
seriousness, objectivity and truth, which seemingly flattered politics since it was
taken as to justify the status quo of the criminal justice system. Whereas the
popularity of self-control theory has certainly sparked an enormous interest in the
empirical examination of the theory, the amount of critique remained limited.
The study "Beyond self-control" is a first attempt to remedy this situation. The
author works back - through theoretical analysis - to the logical presuppositions of
self-control theory and assesses their validity in light of current data and
understandings. This methodological endeavour, eventually, brings to light that
Gottfredson and Hirschi's book on self-control theory contains more criminological
wisdom than acknowledged by most scholars in criminology.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9783428121915
- ISBN-10: 3428121910
- Publisher: Duncker & Humblot
- Publish Date: April 2006
- Page Count: 287
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