A major weakness in Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime is that it may be tautological because they do not clearly define self-control as distinct from the propensity to commit crime.

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The theory has been criticized for being tautological because it defines low self-control as the cause of crime, yet measures it by the same behaviors it seeks to explain, making it difficult to distinguish between the two concepts.

A Major Weakness in Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory of Crime