Application of Situational Action Theory in Japan Using Vignette Survey

Abstract

This study applied Wikström’s Situational Action Theory (SAT) of crime causation to Japanese people in their 30 s–40 s (N = 320). Participants in an internet survey were presented with three criminogenic scenarios—traffic crime, individualistic white-collar crime, and corporate white-collar crime—and were asked to rate the likelihood of them committing a crime in these scenarios. They were also asked to evaluate their morality, moral context, and degree of temptation in each scenario, as well as their tendency for self-control, interdependent view of self, and independent view of self. The results supported SAT in that the moral context positively and morality negatively predicted the likelihood of committing a crime. However, the results were inconsistent with SAT’s assertion that other variables influenced those with low morality more than those with high morality. Further, the tendency to have an interdependent view of self affected the likelihood of committing a crime in some scenarios. This result indicates that in some situations, some people are more influenced by expectations of their behavior from their surroundings, in addition to their morality. Future empirical studies of SAT are needed to examine the influence of self-control on criminal phenomena using the ability to exercise self-control in certain situations that conform to the concept of self-control advocated by SAT. Morality is also a crucial concept in the SAT. Therefore, future research should examine how the morality of trying to fulfill social role expectations and previously assessed morality influence the likelihood of committing a crime.