Punishment of Children from the Perspective of Control Theory
Punishment of Children from the Perspective of Control Theory
This chapter explains control theory and how it assumes the capability of individuals to commit delinquent and criminal acts without benefit of example, training, or rewards over and above those inherent in the acts themselves. This assumption distinguishes control theory from other psychological and sociological theories. In control theory, criminal behavior is likely whenever its advantages outweigh immediate and long-term risks, as perceived by the individual. Given the natural ability of individuals to see the immediate advantages of delinquent and criminal acts, the task for society is to persuade them that such acts are not in their long-term interests. Given the natural ability of individuals to see the immediate advantages of crime, society should not be unduly concerned with protecting them from exposure to such information.
Keywords: control theory, criminal acts, criminal behavior, long-term risks, long-term interests
Yale Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
