social control theory and how it effects an individuals role in society

Travis Hirschi’s social control theory assumes that delinquent acts result when an individual’s bond to society is weak or broken. The assumption that all people are capable of committing crimes, and would do so if left to their own devices, is the backbone of social control theories. These theories see a delinquent person as relatively free of intimate attachments, the aspirations, and the moral beliefs that bind most people to a life within the law. However, they do not explain why individuals engage in criminal acts, but rather why individuals choose to conform to conventional norms. Conventional norms for example, can be illustrated through the decision of an individual’s choice on attending college.
Social control is often seen as a representation of conformity, which leads to the convention of norms. Others see social control as a broad representation of regulated mechanisms placed upon society’s members. In other words, social control regards what is to be con...