Beyond Self-Control: Analysis and Critique of Gottfredson & Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime (1990).

Some Considerations on Theory Construction and Theoretical Integration in Positivist-Etiological Criminology.

By (author) Stefan Schulz

Book cover: Beyond Self-Control: Analysis and Critique of Gottfredson & Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime (1990).

(Paperback) (Published)

(April 2006)

ISBN: 9783428121915

5.83 x 8.82 inches

Price: $40.00

Out of stock

Throughout the 20th century numerous explanations
for crime and deviance have emerged that have been offered as better explanations
than other theories and perspectives. Yet, the impact of criminological theorizing on
public policy remained insignificant. In this situation Michael Gottfredson and
Travis Hirschi presented their book “A General Theory of Crime” and suggested
self-control theory. Their theory arrived on the scene with a “make-up” of
seriousness, objectivity and truth, which seemingly flattered politics since it was
taken as to justify the status quo of the criminal justice system. Whereas the
popularity of self-control theory has certainly sparked an enormous interest in the
empirical examination of the theory, the amount of critique remained limited.

The study “Beyond self-control” is a first attempt to remedy this situation. The
author works back – through theoretical analysis – to the logical presuppositions of
self-control theory and assesses their validity in light of current data and
understandings. This methodological endeavour, eventually, brings to light that
Gottfredson and Hirschi’s book on self-control theory contains more criminological
wisdom than acknowledged by most scholars in criminology.

Inhaltsübersicht: 1. Introduction - 2.
Criminological theorizing today: The state of criminological theory - The mutual
relevance of criminology and criminal justice - The desirability of general theories
of crime: exigencies - 3. 'A General Theory of Crime' (Gottfredson and Hirschi,
1990): Foundations - Theme, structure and propositions - 4. Towards an analytical
framework: Under focus: action, individuals, groups - The sociological model of
explanation - The explicative range of self-control theory - Limits to generality:
What can self-control theory explain? - 5. Theory construction: Deductive theories -
Criteria for (methodological) critique - 6. Self-control theory: a critical
appraisal: Reception of self-control theory by other scholars - Methodological
criteria (structure) - Methodological criteria (content, logic and consistency) - 7.
The empirical status of self-control theory: Testing self-control theory -
Self-control theory through the studies: The core propositions - A meta-analysis of
low self-control (Pratt and Cullen, 2000) - Empirical status: resume - 8.
Self-control theory, public policy and ideology: Practical yields from self-control
theory according to Gottfredson and Hirschi - Ideological issues in self-control
theory - 9. Summing up: The challenge of criminology - Self-control theory - Limits
to generality - Performance of self-control theory in empirical studies -
Methodological quality - No Adenption: big noise about modest claims? - 10. Looking
ahead: on the prospects of theoretical integration: Theoretical integration in
criminology - (Back) towards an analytical framework - Levels of explanation -
Macro-, micro- and individual level theories - Fears of reductionism - Partial
criminological theories and limitation of scope - 11. Conclusion - Epilogue: Beyond
self-control - Appendix 1, 2, Bibliography

  • By (author) Stefan Schulz