The Formation of Subcultures and Social Control Theory
The subcultural theory is closely related to crime and delinquency. Subcultures encourage individuals to band together within a larger culture or society. The subcultures and relation to gangs are usually associated with lower than middle or upper-class status. The typical reason for joining the gang are an economic disadvantage, sense of belonging, and protection (Adler, Mueller, & Laufer, 2013). Although the social control theory fails to explain the crime and delinquency within the middle class, it explains the lower likeliness of the members of the middle class to be involved in gangs by the higher income and better social control.
The self-control theory is applicable to the middle-class delinquency and crime. The examinations of this theory demonstrate that low self-control is positively and significantly related to involvement in deviance and crime. Although the extent to which the theory is able to explain organizational and white-collar offending is questionable, the theory emphasizes the role of parenting in the self-control and related delinquency development. The main point of this theory argues that parents who fail to monitor their children, recognize deviant behavior after its emergence and then punish this behavior, are expected to raise children with a low in self-control level who would be more delinquent. The study by Hay (2001) supports the primary thesis of the low-control theory that monitoring and discipline affect low self-control, while low self-control impacts the level of delinquency. Although the low-control theory partly explains the causes of crime and delinquency among the members of the middle-class, there are other applicable theories as well. For example, the rational theory can explain motivations and decision-making process of the person who decides to commit crime regardless of his or her social status. Thus, the proper explanation of causes of crime and delinquency should be based on several theories of crime.
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References
Adler, F., Mueller, G. O. W., & Laufer, W. S. (2013). Criminology (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Hay, C. (2001). Parenting, self‐control, and delinquency: A test of self‐control theory. Criminology, 39(3), …
