Albert is a teenager who lives in a close-knit rural community of 3,000 people where everyone knows one another. He resides in a house with his parents and grandparents. A couple of kids from his school have talked about spray painting the back of the grocery store, but Albert knows the owner of the store and what a hardship it would be for the owner to clean up the mess. Albert talks the kids out of the plan in favor of meeting some friends to play basketball in the park. Albert's actions are best explained by which theory?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Albert's actions align with the principles of control theory which assert that people are compelled to follow social norms and rules due to the presence of controlling factors such as attachments, commitments, beliefs, and values. In this case, Albert's attachment to the store owner and his belief in the importance of respecting others' property motivated him to dissuade his peers from engaging in vandalism.

Albert Is a Teenager Who Lives in a Close-Knit Rural