Deck 5: Varieties of Control Theory

Question 1

If social bonding theory is valid, which of the following youths would be most prone to commit delinquent acts?

A) An adolescent female with close relationships with her conventional parents.
B) An adolescent female involved in school sports.
C) An adolescent male who drops out of school.
D) An adolescent male who believes that drug use is wrong.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to Sykes and Matza, techniques of neutralization help us understand an individual's

A) Differential associations.
B) Drift into delinquency without fully embracing delinquent values.
C) Low self-control throughout the life course.
D) Social bonding to conventional others.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In contrast to other theories, what question do control theories seek to answer?

A) Why are criminals mentally ill and in need of control?
B) Why do people commit crimes?
C) Why are most criminals located in inner-city neighborhoods?
D) Why don't people commit crime?

Answer 3

D

Question 4

"Even though I wanted to, I didn't take drugs because I knew that my parents 'would kill me' and that I would disappoint them. So, even though I was out with my friends, I told my friends that I just wasn't interested in getting high." Which of Travis Hirschi's social bonds best explains this statement?

A) Attachment.
B) Commitment.
C) Involvement.
D) Belief.

Question 5

Which technique of neutralization would apply to this statement: "It's okay to 'rip off' (copy) computer software because Microsoft is so rich that it will never miss the money if I don't pay for their software"?

A) Denial of responsibility.
B) Denial of injury.
C) Denial of the victim.
D) Condemnation of the condemners.

Question 6

Why did Walter Reckless believe that there were "good boys in bad neighborhoods?"

A) They did well in school and thus did not experience the painful strains that other boys in the neighborhood experienced.
B) They learned early that crime was wrong and thus did not have the antisocial values that cause kids to break the law.
C) They had either inner containment (e.g., a good self-concept) or outer containment (e.g., their parents closely supervised them).
D) They were more involved in school- and community-based activities than other boys.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory is true?

A) Self-control is a result of the biological predispositions we are born with.
B) Self-control explains why people who have conduct problems in childhood often also later engage in delinquency and then in adult crime.
C) Self-control is not a stable trait, but a factor that comes and goes throughout one's life, thus explaining why people commit crimes at one time and not another.
D) Self-control is formed or not formed in the teenage years, which is why most delinquency occurs during adolescence.

Question 8

"Mary did not steal the money because she was a straight-A student and has a bright future ahead of herself. If she broke the law, she might lose everything she had worked for." Which theory would best describe this statement?

A) Techniques of neutralization.
B) Social bond theory.
C) Self-control theory.
D) Differential association theory.

Question 9

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi,

A) The willingness to commit crime is learned in childhood from hanging around with "bad" or troubled kids in the neighborhood.
B) People who commit crime are also likely to use drugs and alcohol, smoke, get into accidents, and become physically ill.
C) Most offenders specialize or become experts in one type of crime (e.g., burglary).
D) Criminal behavior first surfaces in adolescence because it is during this turbulent developmental period that self-control breaks down.

Question 10

If an individual justifies his or her delinquent actions by saying he or she acted because of circumstances beyond control, what technique of neutralization has the individual used?

A) Denial of responsibility.
B) Denial of injury.
C) Denial of the victim.
D) Appeal to higher loyalties.

Question 11

If an individual justifies his or her delinquent actions by saying he or she acted on the demands of peer groups, what technique of neutralization has the individual used?

A) Denial of responsibility.
B) Denial of injury.
C) Denial of the victim.
D) Appeal to higher loyalties.

Question 12

"Idle hands are the devil's workshop" is an idea most consistent with which of Hirschi's elements of the social bond?

A) Attachment.
B) Belief.
C) Involvement.
D) Containment.

Question 13

Gottfredson and Hirschi's key theoretical concept is which of the following?

A) Social bonding.
B) Self-control.
C) Outer containment.
D) Techniques of neutralization.

Question 14

According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, which of the following is true?

A) Crime is ubiquitous.
B) Criminality is ubiquitous.
C) Outer containment is ubiquitous.
D) Opportunity for crime is ubiquitous.

Question 15

The idea that different social bonds affect people at different stages of life is most consistent with which theorist(s)?

A) Hirschi.
B) Gottfredson and Hirschi.
C) Sampson and Laub.
D) Sykes and Matza.

Question 16

Which perspective argues that criminal propensities are established early in childhood?

A) Self-control theory.
B) Social bonding theory.
C) Techniques of neutralization.
D) Outer containment.

Question 17

Which of the following is true about control theories?

A) Merton's anomie theory is an example of a control theory.
B) Control theories view individuals as blank slates onto which society writes a script.
C) Society is characterized by culture conflict.
D) It is human nature for people to break the law.

Question 18

Which of the following is true about the theory of techniques of neutralization?

A) Delinquent youths become so enmeshed in a criminal value system that they ignore prosocial values.
B) Delinquent youths remained committed to a prosocial value system, but qualify their violations as acceptable in certain circumstances.
C) Delinquent youths rarely express remorse, guilt, or shame.
D) Youths who are delinquent lack any prosocial attachments.

Question 19

Which of the following is a view espoused in A General Theory of Crime?

A) Crime is specialized behavior.
B) Crime results from weak social bonds in adolescence.
C) Crime results from a biological predisposition toward impulsivity.
D) The relationships between social bonds and crime are spurious.

Question 20

According to A General Theory of Crime, a criminal predisposition is

A) Innate.
B) Learned from negative peer influences.
C) A result of ineffective parenting.
D) A result of weak commitment to school/education.

Question 21

Answer the following about self-control theory:
a. What are some important elements of low self-control?
b. Where does low self-control come from?
c. What role does it play in crime?

Question 22

Hirschi was instrumental in both social bonding theory and self-control theory. Many critics have suggested that Hirschi contradicts himself in these two theories. Do you agree? Explain your position.

Question 23

Explain each of the four elements of the social bond, according to Hirschi. Also, explain how these bonds affect crime/delinquency.

Question 24

Identify and describe each of the five techniques of neutralization. Also, give two examples of each technique. What role do the techniques play in criminal behavior, according to Sykes and Matza?

Question 25

Matza argues that youths do not continually commit delinquent acts. Discuss what factors are needed for a juvenile to engage in crime and the role of drift.

Question 26

Gottfredson and Hirschi argue that by the time childhood ends, youngsters with low self-control are trapped in a life of crime. How would Sampson and Laub respond to this contention?