The General Theory of Crime

Abstract

In 1990, Michael R. Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi published the general theory of crime—a universal theory of crime that claims to be able to explain " all crime, at all times " (Gottfredson and Hirschi 1990: 117). The central constructs of this theory are self-control and criminal behavior; low self-control is the most important pre-dictor for delinquent behavior. This theory is a control theory, and it claims to be able to explain a wide range of criminal acts and " analogous " behavior (for example, divorces or accidents) with low self-control. Both for the development of self-control and for an explanation of delinquent behavior, the family is the most important institution. Other institutions, such as schools or neighborhoods, play only a secondary role or no role at all. The general theory of crime belongs to the most cited and theoretically as well as empirically tested criminological approaches. Most studies that have tested the assumptions of the general theory of crime placed their main focus on the rela-tionship between self-control and delinquent behavior. In this chapter, however, the question of the formation of self-control is emphasized. By and large, the chapter does not raise the claim to describe the general theory of crime as such. In the following, merely those facets of the theory that are relevant for answering the questions of the study at hand are emphasized.