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Nel son Educati on > Hi gher Educati on > Cri mi nol ogy i n Canada: Theori es, Patterns, and Typol ogi es, Fourth Canadi an
Edi ti on> Student Resources > Chapter Overvi ew > Chapter 10
Chapter Overview
CHAPTER 10: INTEGRATED THEORIES
This chapter discusses 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 criminal behaviour.
Integrated theories have become popular; given the move away from the
assumption 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 well their prior learning experiences (social
learning theory). According to social development model, a number of
community-level risk factors make some people susceptible to the
development of anti-social behaviour. For example, social control is less
effective when frontline socializing institutions 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 single theoretical model.
Finally, in the integrated structural Marxist theory, crime is the result of
socialization within families marked by conflict and despair.
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 disposition or latent trait may be present at birth or
established early in life and remains stable over time. Suspected latent traits
include defective intelligence, impulsive personality, and genetic
abnormalities. Because latent traits are stable, fluctuations in offending over
time reflect criminal opportunities and not the propensity 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 biosocial 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 adolescence, 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 successful career as the two major turning
points that help adult offenders desist from crime.
While there is much diversity between developmental approaches together
they emphasize that a criminal career must be understood as a passage
along a persons life journey, influenced by several events and life
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along a persons life journey, influenced by several events and life
circumstances such as income, status, family, peer relations, strength and
personality. Each perspective differs in the view of human development.
Recently, criminologists have combined elements from a number of different
theoretical models to produce integrated theories of crime. There have been
a number of policy-based initiatives based on premises of developmental
theories.

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