Hirschi's Redefined Self-Control: Assessing the Implications of the Merger Between Social- and Self-Control Theories. (November 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ward, Jeffrey T.; Boman, John H.; Jones, Shayne
• Is Part Of: Crime and delinquency. Volume 61:Number 9(2015)
• Page Start: 1206
• Page End: 1233
• Publication Date: 2015-11
• Subjects: redefined self-control -- Hirschi -- marijuana use -- social bonds; Crime -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile delinquency -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.05
• DOI: 10.1177/0011128712466939
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0011-1287

Abstract

The merger of Hirschi's social bonding and Gottfredson and Hirschi's self-control theories has resulted in a recent redefinition of self-control as the "tendency to consider the full range of potential costs of a particular act." The present study clarifies the implications of Hirschi's redefinition, advances a new measure of redefined self-control, and provides an empirical test of key hypotheses using data from a Midwestern sample of adolescents. Results indicate that the alternative measure of redefined self-control has predictive validity. Although redefined self-control and social bonds are not the same thing, they are moderately correlated. Net of controls, redefined self-control has a significant direct effect on marijuana use and partially mediates the effect of social bonds.