Commitment
Definition
Investment in conventional lines of activity such as education, career, and reputation. A person with high commitment has much to lose from a criminal conviction and therefore refrains from offending.
- Theory
- Social bond theory (Travis Hirschi)
- One of four bonds
- Attachment, commitment, involvement, belief
- Mechanism
- Stake in conformity raises the cost of offending
- Related concept
- Rational choice weighing of gains against losses
Common questions
How is commitment different from involvement in social bond theory?+
Commitment is the accumulated investment a person has at stake, such as a degree, a career, or a good name. Involvement is the separate idea of simply being occupied with conventional activities, which leaves less unstructured time for offending. The two often move together but describe different mechanisms.
Can commitment change over the life course?+
Yes. Life-course criminology treats commitment as dynamic: marriage, steady employment, or parenthood can raise commitment and coincide with desistance from offending, while job loss or dropping out of school can lower it and raise the risk of offending.
Related terms
- Analogous Behaviours
- Non-criminal acts that, according to the general theory, stem from the same low self-control as crime: reckless driving, smoking, alcohol misuse, employment...
- Attachment
- Emotional sensitivity to the opinion of significant others, particularly parents, teachers, and peers. An attached individual cares about what these others think...
- General Theory of Crime
- The theory proposed by Gottfredson and Hirschi in 1990 holding that low self-control is the single variable explaining the universal age-crime curve....
- Low Self-Control
- A stable personality trait characterised by impulsivity, insensitivity, risk-seeking, short-sightedness, and preference for non-verbal over cognitive tasks. Gottfredson and Hirschi argue it...
- Social Bond
- The set of ties that connect an individual to conventional society. In Hirschi's model, the bond has four elements: attachment, commitment, involvement,...