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Conflict Theory

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Comparison of Control and Conflict Theories Ben Lott CJA/542 March 26, 2012 Cheryl Reyes

Comparison of Social Control and Conflict Theories Social Control Theory These two theories have been open for discussion for many years, and have become two of the major theories concerning crime. These two theories examine the inner portions of crime to family environments as well as the social aspects of crime. This paper aims to compare the two theories, and by opinion choose the one that I think directly relates to crime issues in the present state. Social Control Theory touches bases relating to social norms, such as social bonding, commitment, moral values, and beliefs as to regarding why people do not commit crime while also it believe that these same portions of the theory will cause the commission of crimes. Most people view this theory as an “motivational” while dismissing the motivational evidence as a leading contributor to crime. One more prominent Social Control theorists is Travis Hirschi. According to Hirschi (1969) viewed the motivations as so “natural to human beings that no special forces were necessary to explain law-breaking” (Hirschi, 1969, pg.1). Human beings are very busy objects, and they will run wild if not controlled by some form of social control or norms to curb their behavior. Supporters of this theory believe that when crimes are committed with motivational factors usually is contributes to conflict resolution or immediate gratification. According to Blair and Pilavin (1965) motivational pulls or pressures does have a considerable amount of pulling people into crime. Thomas Hobbes was one other well known social philosophers who inserted a tremendous amount of social

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