This essay will cover self-control theory which is also referred to as the general theory of crime. It indicates that if self-control is not taught through parenting by childhood, it will result in impulsive and criminal conduct and in the case of the Fort Hood shooting which took place in 2009, the act of workplace violence was one that fits the self-control theory. Self-control is a theory posited by Gottfredson and Hirschi in 1990. This general theory of self-control outlines different dimensions of self-control.
These two argue that many crimes are easy to commit and do not require long term planning, and in exchange many of these crimes have very new long-term benefits. With the nature of criminal behavior, individuals who lack self-control are often impulsive, adventurous, non-verbal, insensitive to others, risk-takers, and short-sighted. It is argued by these two theorists that a lack of self-control is not necessarily the singular cause of a crime, but that people who lack self-control endure other analogous behaviors. These individuals are insensitive to others around them and are risk-takers which means they are more likely to experience problems with their relationships. In addition, these individuals are more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs and are more likely to avoid wearing seatbelts and to get into accidents.
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"Self-Control".
The cause of self-control is founded in parenting. These theorists maintain that parents need to monitor children to locate bad behavior and if it is located, they need to make sure to take corrective measures against it. This is the “origins” postulate. It is put forth that if self-control is not taught at an early age, acquired around the age of eight or ten, then it is not likely to develop over time which means that it cannot be corrected. Self-control needs to be relatively stable over the course of an individual’s lifetime.
In terms of empirical validity it was found that with this theory of criminology conformity results from high, and deviance from low, self-control. This indicates that people with low self-control will deviate from standard stable behavior while those with high self-control will not. There remains divided opinion about the empirical support of this theory and whether it is sustainable. Meta analyses have confirmed that individual self-control is one of the most powerful predictors of crime but Akers has argued that one of the key weaknesses to this new theory is that the two behind it did not define self-control separately from the tendency for criminal behavior. By not doing this, it suggests that people with a propensity for criminal behavior and low self-control are one and the same.
I personally believe that there is sufficient evidence in psychology and criminal theory to support the findings of the self-control theory. The authors make it clear that having low self-control does not in and of itself lead to criminal activity, but that it causes many other behaviors which can.
I have selected the Fort Hood shooting in 2009. In this shooting a single gunman by the name of Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who served since 1995 and who was about to be deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq entered into a crowded medical processing center, wearing a uniform, and fired an automatic pistol with another weapon. He fired into the crowded processing center for soldiers who were about to be sent overseas or who just returned from overseas. After he fired into the crowd, the gunman was shot four times and was hospitalized off-base. He used civilian handguns, not military issued guns which indicated that his act was premeditated. The attack has been called an act of terrorism by some, but an act of workplace violence by others. I believe this was an act of workplace violence, as it was an act that was committed in the workplace against employees and other workplace civilians. As an example of workplace violence, this incident is best explained through self-control theory put forth by Gottfredson and Hirschi in 1990.
Workplace violence is a social problem that is often viewed as a senseless act against coworkers and supervisors by an employee who is deranged and/or disgruntled. Outbursts in the workplace are often triggered by a lack of self-control in the individual which is why the act by the Fort Hood shooter against employees is one that fits the self-control theory. The fact that those who have low self-control are insensitive to others and often experience problems with relationships is apparent in the fact that this shooter was about to deploy but his family was not informed. The fact that the shooter was in the military since 1995 indicates that he was a risk-taker who was adventurous in his behavior. Being impulsive and short-sighted were also associated with the lack of self-control, and associated with the shooter’s psychological military profile.
Overall, the self-control theory, better known as the general theory of crime, indicates that if self-control is not taught by childhood, it will result in an adult with low self-control which results in impulsive and criminal conduct. This lack of self-control or low self-control leads to adults who are impulsive, adventurous, non-verbal, insensitive to others, risk-takers, and short-sighted. This could all be said of Major Nidal Malik Hasan who entered into a crowded medical processing center, wearing a uniform, and fired an automatic pistol into a crowd of soldiers who were about to be sent overseas or who just returned from overseas.
