Changing connections to key social institutions: An SAT analysis of the dynamics of obedience

• In Event: Social relationships and crime: From social institutions to intimate partners

Abstract

Situational Action Theory (SAT) submits that personal connections to key social institutions, such as family, employment, community or state, may be associated with different trajectories of crime propensity and criminogenic exposure in adulthood. At the same time, prior studies suggest that individual relations to these key institutions may be dynamic and reactive, shaped by both macro-level and micro-level changes over time. The current analysis employs SAT as a theoretical framework, integrating insights from qualitative research on social institutions and law obedience to empirically examine (1) the dynamics of change in personal relations with key social institutions, and (2) their potential effect on perceptions of obedience. The findings offer theoretical implications and practical insights for law enforcement and crime prevention strategies.

Author

• Gali Perry, Institute of Criminology, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem & the University of Cambridge