General Theory of Crime (Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson)

p 4 THE GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME The self-control theory as proposed by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990 couples an argument regarding the driving force behind criminality and the features of a criminal act . Gottfredson and Hirschi contend that crime is similar to other out of control and unlawful actions such as alcoholism and smoking because it generates in an individual a temporary yet immediate feeling of gratification . This kind of action is created by a condition that is characterized by low self-control . The authors claim that the condition of having poor self-control

is an innate condition that is set in place during the early childhood at around 7 or 8 years of age . In relation to the mechanism behind criminality , the authors explain that crime is a straightforward action to results in gratification in an individual . Such perception of crime is associated with a number of implications to the general theory of crime . Firstly the general theory of crime presents that crime is an licated action that does not need any strategic preparation or intricate knowledge . Secondly , the general theory of crime is related to a number of elements that are included in the theory of routine activities because just like other uncontrolled acts , crimes are not planned and it is easy for individuals with low self-esteem to be easily motivated to commit such acts . In addition , criminality is strongly influenced by external factors such as the scarcity of easy targets as well as the presence of associates that are capable of helping or even performing a criminal act . The theory of crime by Gottfredson and Hirschi regarding the early age of 7 or 8 also entails that the longitudinal analysis of crime is not necessary and that age-correlated theories of crime are confusing

The general theory of crime of Gottfredson and Hirschi also considers the fundamental argument regarding age and the unlawful act . It is actually different from what is presented at general courses in criminology regarding the analysis of age-crime correlations and social factors that are related to crime . A distinction of the general theory of crime of Gottfredson and Hirschi is that the age-crime linkage is very different through time , location and culture that the age-crime correlation is irrelevant of any social explanation . Their general theory of crime also describes that criminals continue to perform unlawful acts of crime even during marriage and eventually end up as unmarried criminals . The same thing goes with offenders who are currently employed - these individuals generally continue on as offenders and the only difference after some time is that they lose their jobs . The general theory of crime of Gottfredson and Hirschi thus presents an argument against the connection of crime with marriage and employment thus showing that a criminal is incompetent in maintaining a relationship in a marriage or a commitment to work because he is commonly known as person of very low command of his control . Their presentation of the force behind criminality is thus focused on self-control and the...