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Nelson Education > Higher Education > Criminology in Canada: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies, Fourth Canadian

Edition>Student Resources > Chapter Overview > Chapter 10

Chapter Overview

CHAPTER 10: INTEGRATED THEORIES

This chapter discuss es the major integrated theories of crime including

multifactor theories, latent traits theories, and life-course theories or what are

known as developmental theories. Multifactor theories suggest that social,

personal, and economic factors exert influence on crim inal behaviour.

Integrated theories have become popular; given the move away from the

ass umption that the world can be divided into criminals and non-criminals,

hence the value of multi-factor theories and how practical it has become with

computer tools to assist in the process.

According to Glazer, people commit crimes whenever and wherever the

expectations of gain exceed the expectations of losses (rational choice). This

decision is tempered by the quality of their social bonds and their relationships

with others (control theory), as wel l their prior learning experiences (social

learning theory). According to social development model, a number of

community-level risk factors make some people sus ceptible to the

development of anti-social behaviour. For example, social control is less

effective when frontline socializing ins titutions are weak in disorganized, low-

income areas . To control the risk of antisocial behaviour, a child must maintain

prosocial bonds such as positive parental attachments. Elliots integrated

theory combines the elements of strain (e.g., socially disorganized areas),

social learning (e.g., positive associations with delinquent friends), and control

theories (e.g., attachment to delinquent groups) into a s ingle theoretical model.

Finally, in the integrated structural Marxist theory, crime is the result of

socialization within families marked by conflict and despai r.

Latent trait theories assume that a number of people in the population have a

personal attribute or characteristic that controls their inclination or propensity to

commit crimes. This dis position or latent trait may be present at birth or

established early in life and remains stable over time. Suspected latent traits

include defective in telligence, impuls ive personality, and genetic

abnormalities . Because latent traits are s table, fluctuations in offending over

time reflect criminal opportunities and not the propens ity to commit crime.

Wilson and Herrnstein argue that personal traits such as genetic makeup,

intelligence, and body build, may outweigh the importance of social variables

as predictors or criminal behaviour. However, criminality results from the

combination of bios ocial makeup, personality, rational choice, structure, and

social process. Gottfredson and Hirschis general theory of crime claims that

people with low self-control are predisposed to commit crimes as a result of

inadequate early child-rearing practices. Low self-control develops early in life

and remains stable into and through adulthood. Life course theories hold that

the propensity to commit crime is not stable and does change over time.According to life-course theory, some career criminals may desist from crime

for awhile, only to resume their activities at a later date. As people mature, the

factors that influence their behaviour change. The Gluecks were pioneers in

research on the life cycle of delinquent careers, showing that early onset of

delinquency is the best predictor of a criminal career. Thornberrys interactional

theory says the onset of crime can be traced to a deterioration of the social

bond during adoles cence, marked by a weakened attachment to parents, low

commitment to school, and a lack of belief in conventional values. Sampson

and Laub identify marriage and a s uccessful career as the two major turning

points that help adult offenders desis t from crime.

While there is much diversity between developmental approaches together

they emphas ize that a criminal career must be understood as a pass age

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8/11/2019 Integrated Theori Es

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a ong a person s e ourney, n uence y severa even s an e

circumstances s uch as income, status, family, peer relations, strength and

personality. Each perspective differs in the view of human development.

Recently, criminologists have combined elem ents from a number of different

theoretical models to produce integrated theories o f crime. There have been

a number of policy-based initiatives bas ed on premis es of developmental

theories.

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