Social Bond Theory: Why Do People Obey The Law

Since the question social control theorists ask, as indicated above, is why do people obey the law, they answer this vital question by saying that people obey the law because their behavior is controlled by a combination of internal and external forces. In other words, they state that juveniles who stay out of trouble have been properly socialized, and they have strong ties to society. Social bond theory, proposed by Hirschi in 1969, links delinquency to a weakening of the bonds that tie people to society.
Hirschi started with an assumption, which was borrowed from Emile Durkheim, that we are all animals and everyone is capable of engaging in criminal acts. However, while we are all capable of being criminal offenders, very few of us end up
It is through attachment that people acquire and internalize conventional values. Similar to what Freud first said, Hirschi believed that strong attachments early in life are crucial to the development of social bonds (Tibbets and Hemmens, 2010). Without attachments, though, the other elements in social bonding are not possible. Commitment, one of those other elements, has to do with the investment a person has in conventional society. If there is no commitment to society and its values, then there is no reason for a person to avoid criminal behavior. Involvement is another element and it relates to how much time is spent in conventional activities. If an individual spends considerable time in conventional activities, there is much less time available – and perhaps less interest – for illegal activities. Finally, the last of Hirschi’s four elements is beliefs. This has to do with morality and the laws and rules of society. A person who has a set of moral values is less likely to engage in activities that run counter to their values and beliefs. Hirschi wrote that “…the less a person believes he should obey the rules, the more likely he is to violate them” (Hirschi, 1969, p.