Читать книгу Transnational Organized Crime and Gangs - Robert M. Brzenchek - Страница 14

The concept of social control has been a part of sociology for almost a hundred years. The theory identifies institutional mechanisms within society that manage both group and individual conduct through the process of socialization. Therefore, these public and private institutions maintain order in society. T. Hirschi’s 1969, 1977 theory of social control assumes that individuals who carry out deviant behavior, as a means of securing social bonds, negatively affecta the whole of society. Hirschi’s concept of social bonding is hinged on the following four attributes: attachment, commitment, involvement, and beliefs. Attachment refers to the symbiotic linkage between a person and society. Individuals with secure attachments to persons and institutions within society are considered less likely to breach social mandates and vice versa. The chances of deliberately engaging in behavior that may upset group attachments is not likely from someone with secure attachments because they are more likely to avoid deviant behavior to avoid being shunned by valued attachments.

Commitment refers to the investment an individual has in social activities and institutions. Hirschi’s commitment construct identified an association between an individual’s level of commitment and their predisposition for delinquency. The more an individual invests time, energy, and resources into social conformity, the less likely he or she is to deviate from norms. This in in stark comparison to someone who has not made a comparable investment. Hirschi found this to be true because individuals heavily invested in social conformity have more to lose. Consequently, deviant behavior is less appealing to individuals with strong commitments. Involvement, with regards to the concept of social bonding, conceptualized the limited time individuals have daily. If the time spent engaging in conventional endeavors reduces the time available for deviant and criminal activities, Hirschi contended, that involvement, such as being a parent or maintaining a job, fosters discipline and regimen, and the discipline and regimen encourages a resolve to resist deviant or criminalistic behaviors.

According to Hirsch, belief in the moral validity of shared social values and norms will serve as an invisible barrier against one’s proclivity for deviant behavior, ultimately, suggesting that persons who strongly believe in moralistic social norms are less likely to deviate from them and vice versa.