Causes of Delinquency

work by Hirschi

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July 17, 2026

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Travis Hirschi's influential work, Causes of Delinquency (1969), posits that juvenile delinquency arises from a lack of social bonds. Hirschi argued that strong attachments to parents, teachers, and peers, along with involvement in conventional activities and respect for social norms and laws, act as deterrents to delinquency.1

His later work with Michael R. Gottfredson, A General Theory of Crime (1990), suggested that low self-control, often established by age eight due to parenting practices, is a primary factor in crime. Psychological theories also explore delinquency, examining learned behaviors and personality traits like impulsivity, though mental illness is a cause for only a small proportion of crimes.12

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Travis Hirschi
In Causes of Delinquency (1969)—a groundbreaking work that had a profound influence on criminology during the next three decades—Hirschi argued that delinquency can be explained by the absence of social bonds. According to Hirschi, social attachments (e.g., to parents, teachers, and peers), involvement in conventional activities,…
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In Causes of Delinquency (1969)—a groundbreaking work that had a profound influence on criminology during the next three decades—Hirschi argued that delinquency can be explained by the absence of social bonds. According to Hirschi, social attachments (e.g., to parents, teachers, and peers), involvement in conventional activities,…
Read More