Fatalism and Crime: A longitudinal approach

• In Event: Internalizing Problems, Attitudes, and the Development of Criminal Behavior

Abstract

Prior research on anticipated early death has revealed that young people who do not feel they control their destiny exhibit more criminal behavior. This study seeks to build on this literature to understand how a larger concept of fatalism is related to criminal outcomes. Using the Kaplan Longitudunal and Multigenerational Study (KLAMS) data, this study looks at how measures of fatalism effect criminal behavior. The KLAMS data were collected from respondents in the 1970s and the children of the respondents in the 1990s. This allows for an analysis of how fatalism works for individuals, and if fatalism can be passed on to subsequent generations. Implications for criminological theory are discussed.

Authors

• Chris Huggins, University of Kentucky

• Tony P. Love, University of Kentucky