DO PARENTS MATTER IN CREATING SELF-CONTROL IN THEIR CHILDREN? A GENETICALLY INFORMED TEST OF GOTTFREDSON AND HIRSCHI'S THEORY OF LOW SELF-CONTROL

Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime (1990) has generated an abundance of research testing the proposition that low self‐control is the main cause of crime and analogous behaviors. Less empirical work, however, has examined the factors that give rise to low self‐control. Gottfredso...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Criminology (Beverly Hills) 2005-11, Vol.43 (4), p.1169-1202
Main Authors: WRIGHT, JOHN PAUL, BEAVER, KEVIN M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ADHD
Anti-social behaviour
Attention deficit disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Behavior
behavior patterns
Children
Children & youth
Criminology
Genetics
Heredity
Hyperactivity
parental influence
Parenting
Parents
Parents & parenting
self-control
Self-management
Violence
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Summary:Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime (1990) has generated an abundance of research testing the proposition that low self‐control is the main cause of crime and analogous behaviors. Less empirical work, however, has examined the factors that give rise to low self‐control. Gottfredson and Hirschi suggest that parents are the sole contributors for either fostering or thwarting low self‐control in their children, explicitly discounting the possibility that genetics may play a key role. Yet genetic research has shown that ADHD and other deficits in the frontostriatal system are highly heritable. Our research thus tests whether “parents matter” in creating low self‐control once genetic influences are taken into account. Using a sample of twin children we find that parenting measures have a weak and inconsistent effect. We address the conceptual and methodological issues associated with the failure to address genetic influences in parenting studies.
ISSN:0011-1384
1745-9125
DOI:10.1111/j.1745-9125.2005.00036.x