Abstract
Tittle, Ward, and Grasmick (2004) developed the idea of "self-control desire" as a key in understanding variability in crime and deviance, above and beyond low self-control (ability). The current study investigated the interplay between self-control ability, self-control desire, and deviance. Both self-control ability and self-control desire had independent effects on a variety of deviance measures; in addition, the interactive effects between the two were also significant. Results also indicate that the measure of self-control desire is composed of two different dimensions, namely punishment-avoiding self-control desire, a construct that shares conceptual similarities with perceived sanctions, and reward-seeking self-control desire. The independent and interactive effects of punishment-avoiding self-control desire and self-control ability on deviance were supported in the current study. However, reward-seeking self-control desire was unrelated to deviance once the effects by punishment-avoiding self-control desire and self-control ability were controlled. Follow-up analyses on the interaction effects indicate that the relationships between self-control ability and deviance were weaker for people with higher levels of self-control desire; in addition, the effects by self-control ability were not significant at high levels of self-control desire. Similarly, self-control ability was also found to attenuate the relationships between self-control desire and deviance; self-control desire did not predict deviance at high levels of self-control ability.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 29-44 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Western Criminology Review |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - Dec 2010 |
Keywords
- Perceived sanctions
- Self-control ability
- Self-control desire
- Self-control theory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science