Causes of Delinquency: A Partial Replication and Extension

Abstract

Focusing primarily on urban males, Hirschi (1969) presents research findings which are generally consistent with the propositions of his control theory. In an effort to examine the extent to which Hirschi's basic research results can be replicated, groups of rural male and female students in grades six through 12 of one school were asked to respond to a self-report delinquency questionnaire and a series of items which Hirschi used to test propositions of his control theory. Indicators of “attachment” to parents and the school; “commitment” to, and “involvement” in, conventional activities; and “belief,” were found to be related to reported delinquent involvement among these rural respondents to about the same extent as among Hirschi's urban males. However, his findings that attachment to peers and attachment to parents are positively related (to each other) and attachment to peers and reported delinquent involvement are negatively related, were not replicated; rather, the former relationship was found to be nearly orthogonal and the latter variables were found to be positively related.