Social Bond Theory

Social bond theory is a preeminent perspective in criminology that stresses strong social integration acts as a deterrent to criminal motivations. The development of social bond theory is traced from early sociological theorizing and empirical research that set the foundation for the theory through the introduction of Hirschi's formalized social bond theory of criminology. Research on family processes, schools, and religiosity in support of social bond theory are briefly summarized. Finally, questions that remain to be answered from the social bond theory perspective are discussed.