SEX, CRIME, AND SELF-CONTROL: COMPARING OUTCOMES OF LOW SELF-CONTROL FOR HETEROSEXUAL AND GAY/BISEXUAL MEN

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dc.contributor.advisorDugan, Lauraen_US
dc.contributor.authorScocca, Jacoben_US
dc.contributor.departmentCriminology and Criminal Justiceen_US
dc.contributor.publisherDigital Repository at the University of Marylanden_US
dc.contributor.publisherUniversity of Maryland (College Park, Md.)en_US
dc.date.accessioned2022-09-23T05:35:35Z
dc.date.available2022-09-23T05:35:35Z
dc.date.issued2022en_US
dc.description.abstractObjective: The purpose of the current thesis is to further explore Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime by examining adult outcomes of low self-control in a heterosexual and gay/bisexual sample. It argues that self-control in these populations is differentially related to outcomes of violent crime and analogous behaviors, which contradicts the general nature of the theory. Methods: The current study uses self-reported measures in the Adolescent Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) for self-control (Wave 3) to examine outcomes of violent crime and risky sexual behavior (Wave 4). Risky sexual behaviors in this study are conceptualized as number of different sexual partners, sex without prophylactics, or sex with more than one person around the same time. Men are the primary focus of this thesis due to the presence of culturally and socially specific factors in the heterosexual and gay male community that could differentially affect the outcomes of interest. Hypothesis: I hypothesize that both the relationship between low self-control and violent crime and low self-control and risky sexual behavior will differ based on the sexual orientation of the respondent. To frame this hypothesis, I argue that the gay male subculture is more openly accepting of risky sexual behaviors, and therefore that this analogous behavior will be less related to self-control in gay populations. I also argue that heterosexual masculinity facilitates violent behavior/crime within heterosexual men, meaning that self-control plays a larger role in controlling urges in this group. Results: Differences in the association between self-control and risky sexual behaviors were found between heterosexual and gay/bisexual men indicating support for the hypothesis. Differences in the relationship between self-control and violent criminal activity in the two groups were not found in the tested samples. These findings provide evidence that Gottfredson & Hirschi's theory may not be generalizable for analogous behaviors in all populations, but that it still may hold for violent crime.en_US
dc.identifierhttps://doi.org/10.13016/yhao-dpu9
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/29263
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledCriminologyen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledLGBTQ studiesen_US
dc.subject.pqcontrolledSexualityen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledAdd Healthen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledCrimeen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledGayen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledSelf-Controlen_US
dc.subject.pquncontrolledSexual Behavioren_US
dc.titleSEX, CRIME, AND SELF-CONTROL: COMPARING OUTCOMES OF LOW SELF-CONTROL FOR HETEROSEXUAL AND GAY/BISEXUAL MENen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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