Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
The Control Balance Theory, developed by Charles R. Tittle in the 1990s, is an ambitious attempt to create a general theory of deviance that explains both the likelihood and the type of deviant behavior. Unlike many other control theories that focus only on external social constraints, Tittle’s model emphasizes the dynamic relationship between the control
Travis Hirschi’s Social Bonds Theory (1969) is one of the most influential control theories in criminology. Rather than asking why people commit crime, Hirschi asks why they conform to rules at all. He argues that human beings have a natural tendency toward deviance, and that conformity results from effective social control rooted in strong social
Delinquency and Drift by David Matza (1964) represents a landmark critique of both positivist criminology (e.g., Lombroso) and contemporary theories of juvenile delinquency like Cloward & Ohlin’s differential opportunity theory and Cohen’s subcultural theory. Matza challenges the behavioral determinism in these approaches and argues instead for a nuanced, interactionist understanding of delinquency as a temporary,
Feminist criminology emerged in the 1970s as a critical response to the male-dominated theories and practices of mainstream criminology. It challenged the neglect of women’s experiences both as offenders and as victims, criticizing criminological theories for treating male behavior as the norm and simply assuming that it applies to women. Feminist criminology also exposes the
Power-Control Theory, developed by John Hagan and colleagues in the 1980s, is a sociological theory that explains gender differences in delinquency by linking family power structures to patterns of socialization and control. The theory integrates insights from control theories, Marxist perspectives, and feminist criminology. It argues that the distribution of power within families shapes how
Outsiders, published in 1963 by Howard S. Becker, is one of the foundational works of labelling theory and the sociology of deviance. Becker analyzes how certain behaviors come to be defined as deviant, showing that deviance is not an inherent quality of an act but a result of social processes of definition, attribution, and enforcement.