Impact of Positive Parenting on Self-control and Deviant Outcomes

• In Event: Reflections on Control Theory: Teachings of Hirschi and Gottfredson

Abstract

In Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime, self-control is presumed to be developed in early child through effective child rearing. Research on the causes of self-control has ranged from a focus on biological or inherited traits to socialization from communities, schools, peers, and of course families. The majority of these studies focus on how ineffective parenting, such as lack of supervision or harsh discipline practices, leads to poor self-control in children. The current study uses data from the NLYS-CYA to examine the importance of positive parenting, in the form of high levels of parental warmth and affection, for the development of self-control and subsequent deviant behaviors.

Author

• Stacey Nofziger, University of Akron