A Longitudinal Test of the Effects of Parenting and the Stability of Self-Control: Negative Evidence for the General Theory of Crime*

Abstract

This study investigates two core propositions of Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) general theory of crime. Using longitudinal data collected on approximately 750 African American children and their primary caregivers, we first examine whether self‐control fully mediates the effect of parenting on delinquency. Consistent with the general theory, we find that low self‐control is positively associated with involvement in delinquency. Counter to Gottfredson and Hirschi's proposition, we find that self‐control only partially attenuates the negative effect of parental efficacy on delinquency. Next, we assess the theory's hypothesis that between‐individual levels of self‐control are stable. Finding substantial instability in self‐control across the two waves, we explore whether social factors can explicate these changes in self‐control. The four social relationships we incorporate (improvements in parenting, attachment to teachers, association with pro‐social peers, and association with deviant peers) explain a substantial portion of the changes in self‐control. We then discuss the implications of these findings for the general theory of crime.

Investigation of the role of parent attitudes, SES and religiosity in university students’ discriminative attitudes

“…Research findings also indicated that the role of social economic status in discriminatory attitudes, in consistent with the previous studies (Simons, Simons, & Burt, 2006), there was not any statistical group differences. However, students with high social economic status had more discriminatory attitudes than middle and low group.…”

Sex differences in longitudinal pathways from parenting to delinquency

“…Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) stated that self-control is largely determined by parenting practices during early childhood and stable around the ages of 8 to 10. Burt et al (2006) found, however, that self-control is not as stable after the age of 10 as Gottfredson and Hirschi assumed. They furthermore found substantial effects of parenting on changes in self-control after the age of 10.…”

Unpacking the Influence of Neighborhood Context and Antisocial Propensity on Violent Victimization of Children and Adolescents in Chicago

“…Although early prevention is important , promising research does suggests that self-control is plastic and is susceptible to change in later stages of one's life-course too (Burt et al, 2006;Moffitt et al, 2011;Roberts, Walton, & Viecthbauer, 2006). As such, both unique and universal prevention and intervention efforts will be important to develop for targeting developmentally sensitive periods that teaches individuals to make informed decisions before acting; seriously consider how their actions affect others; and more generally teach them to think about the personal consequences of their own behavior.…”

“…of self-control over time (Burt et al, 2006;Hay & Forrest, 2006). Criminologists have investigated correlates and predictors of self-control that provide insights into what factors should be focused on for intervention purposes.…”