CRJU110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Parachuting

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Criminal Justice
• Course: CRJU110
• Professor: Parker Karen

Document Summary

Lesson 9: age-crime relationship: the debate: latent trait vs. life course. Figure: illustrating the age curve in different countries at different times. Latent trait approach: age distribution of crime is invariant across social and cultural conditions, age has a direct effect on crime, no factor (or combination of factors) can explain the age-crime relationship. Gottfredson and hirschi"s self control theory (1990: a general theory of crime. Self-control theory: focus is placed on early childhood socialization in the family, which can produce an enduring criminal predisposition called low self-control, posits a sing, one-dimensional trait of self-control that persists over the life course. Six components of the personality trait of low self-control. Personality traits: tendency to respond to tangible stimuli in the immediate environment. High self-control defer gratification: tendency to lack diligence, tenacity, or persistence in the course of action . Avoid complex tasks: tendency to be adventurous rather than cautious .