Human Agency, Capable Guardians, and Structural Constraints: A Lifestyle Approach to the Study of Violent Victimization

Abstract

The lifestyle/routine activities perspective can be developed to conceptualize violent victimization as the outcome of structural factors, interpersonal relations, patterns of behavior, and plain bad luck. Structural factors may affect the rate of violence in society, the social and cultural resources available to individuals, and the lifestyles that they choose to adopt. The social and cultural resources of parents can be expected to diminish adolescents' risk of victimization. Furthermore, the strength of parental relations can be expected to determine the importance of parents as capable guardians in the general life situation of their children. Within this context, adolescents who engage in delinquent or violent behavior can be expected to be disproportionately victimized. Studies conducted in the United States and Britain suggest that violent behavior is the major risk factor for violent victimization, and the present analysis indicates that despite structural and cultural differences on the societal level, this also holds true in Iceland. Parental support, educational achievement, and delinquent lifestyles are also found to be moderately related to violent victimization, but that effect appears to be largely mediated through violent lifestyles. Although both violent behavior and violent victimization are far less common among females than males, we find the victimization of both groups to be related in the same way, and to the same extent, to structural constraints, capable guardianship, and delinquent and violent lifestyles.