Social bond theory

Social bond theory is a social control theory developed by Travis Hirschi in 1969. Like other social control theories, social bond theory discusses why some individuals commit crimes or otherwise deviate from societal standards, while other individuals obey the law and conform to societal standards. Hirschi believed that the strength of four social bonds was what kept certain individuals from breaking the law.

The first bond, attachment, includes relationships with parents, siblings, and peers. The second bond, involvement, refers to engagement with activities, teams, social groups, and hobbies. The third bond, commitment, refers to societal obligations like jobs and education. The fourth social bond, belief, refers to a willingness to intentionally embrace societal norms.

Hirschi theorizes that as long as all four social bonds remain strong, individuals are unlikely to engage in deviant or criminal behavior. He argued that as long as they were closely engaged with society, they would be too busy to succumb to temptations. However, he also theorized that the social bonds build upon one another. If one of the four social bonds weakens, people’s relationships with the other social bonds might weaken at a faster pace.

Background

Hirschi argued that all humans are born with the same temptation towards both social deviance and crime. Working from this assumption, Hirschi wondered why some people give into the temptation to commit crimes. Hirschi’s answer was social bond theory, in which a series of societal relationships serve to encourage conformity over deviance. However, before Hirschi had developed social bond theory, other social control theories had been proposed.

Some social control theories argue for other means of reducing crime in a society. For example, F. Ivan Nye argued that the relationship between parents and youth has a strong role in someone’s future tendency to obey or break the law. He believed that youths should be directly controlled through their parents. Under his guidelines, parents should utilize rewards, punishments, and limits to reduce youth exposure to any elements that might increase the odds of delinquency or deviancy.

Other theorists argued that personal discipline and reason could be used to overcome crime and deviancy. They believed that individuals were able to discern right from wrong, but some lacked the inner strength to resist the temptation to commit crimes. Still others believed that many people were innately unable to conform, and used delinquent or deviant behavior as an occasional means of relieving stress.

Overview

Social bond theory was developed by Travis Hirschi in 1969. Hirschi studied why some people turn to crime and why others tend to avoid it. In social bond theory, the social bonds are divided into four categories: attachment, involvement, commitment, and belief. Attachment refers to social relationships, familial relationships, and relationships with social institutions. It includes relationships with parents and siblings which individuals usually form from a young age. It also refers to relationships with friends and peers which individuals may form throughout their lifetimes. Additionally, membership to social institutions, such as teams, groups, clubs, and schools, can provide a strong and meaningful sense of identity and belonging.

Attachment is often considered the most important of the four social bonds. In many ways, attachment serves as a base for the other three social bonds. If an individual has a weak sense of attachment, they may find it difficult to strengthen their other social bonds. Individuals struggling with building relationships may also face difficulties with their families or in their social lives.

Involvement, the second social bond, refers to individuals’ engagement in and enthusiasm for activities in their free time. According to social bond theory, individuals that voluntarily spend a significant amount of their free time engaging in recreational group activities are less likely to engage in criminal activity. Hirschi believed that socially acceptable recreational activities reduced the amount of free time available to the average person. If people have less free time, they have fewer opportunities to give in to the temptation to engage in criminal acts.

The third social bond, commitment, refers to time spent on a career, education, or activities intentionally undertaken to build a positive reputation. These are distinct from activities listed under involvement because they may not be activities that people enjoy. However, they are activities commonly considered necessary by society. Additionally, commitments to careers and education also reduce free time, further reducing the temptations to which people are exposed.

The fourth social bond, belief, refers to peoples’ belief in the conventional values of a society. These include believing in the value of conformity over deviance, and conventional moral values. Hirsch argued that such beliefs reduced the odds of giving in to temptation when given an opportunity to break the law. He argued that people who genuinely believe that breaking the law is wrong are less likely to do so, even if breaking the law would benefit them.

The overall goal of social bond theory is to increase conformity and decrease deviance. It argues that if all people are willing to conform to both the laws and social norms, then societal conflict and crime will both be greatly reduced. It also argues that deviating from the social norms causes societal conflict. Because Hirschi believed that deviance and social conflict often resulted in crimes being committed, he argued that maintaining societal conformity was essential to reducing crime rates.

Hirschi argued that strong social bonds helped increase conformity and decrease deviation. However, if any one of the bonds grew too weak, he believed that it could jeopardize an individual’s relationships within the other bonds. For example, an individual struggling to find gainful employment might grow resentful, distancing themselves from others and reducing their attachment.

Bibliography

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