THE GROWTH OF CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORIES Jonathon M. Heidt B.A., University of Montana, 2000 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the School of Criminology OJonathon M. Heidt 2003 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY November 2003 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Jonathon Heidt Degree: M.A. Title of Thesis: The Growth of Criminological Theories Examining Committee: Chair: ~ridnkurtch,P~JJ$ . D;. Robert ~ordoi,kh.~. Senior Supervisor Dr. Elizabeth Elliott, Ph.D. Member Sociology Department University at Albany - SUNY Date Approved: PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of Thesis/Project/Extended Essay The Growth of Criminological Theories Author: Name ABSTRACT In the last 50 years, an extensive array of theories has appeared within the field of criminology, many generated by the discipline of sociology. With so many different, competing models and perspectives surfacing, it is often difficult to determine if theory growth is actually occurring in criminology, or if contemporary theories are merely older and recycled theoretical models. The question of growth is an important one to resolve because criminology, if it is truly a progressive form of social science, ought to be producing theories that are evolving and improving, and contributing to the accumulation of knowledge. In order to assess the degree of accumulation, an existing model of theory growth proposed by David G. Wagner was applied to several different trajectories in the area of sociologically based theories within criminology. In brief, Wagner argues that in sociology, theory develops and grows in the context of theoretical research programs. Theoretical research programs are composed of sets of interrelated unit theories. The production of these unit theories is guided by the underlying philosophy of the research program, or as Wagner calls it, the program's orienting strategy. The main finding of this research is that theory growth is occurring in at least two different ways within criminology. First, there is evidence of traditional scientific theory accumulation in which newly formulated theories build upon the foundations of their forerunners. Second, it was found that overarching perspectives are occasionally blended, and this fusion produces unique explanations of crime and criminality. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of Wagner's model and provide guidelines on how to proceed with integrative theorizing in criminology. DEDICATION To my father and mother, for their constant support and encouragement. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The amount of help and advice I have received from various people during this project has been astounding and is greatly appreciated by the author. I would first like to thank Dr. Robert Gordon, my senior supervisor during this project. Dr. Gordon was a great choice for this position for many different reasons. In particular, he was an excellent guide and editor, and always remained encouraging and helpful. Next, I would like thank Dr. Liz Elliott for serving as second supervisor on the committee. Her suggestions for the work (and how to deal with the stress created by it) were always clever and helpful. I would also like to extend many thanks to Dr. David G. Wagner. Early on, I contacted him over electronic mail, and for not having ever seen or talked to me in person, he showed incredible interest in this project. He was also very encouraging and kind; he provided several crucial hints and suggestions at key points in my research. Professor Douglas Cousineau also deserves my gratitude for providing me with suggestions for possible ways to expand this work later in my academic career. Finally, I would to thank my teachers at the University of Montana, all of whom contributed to my grounding in social and criminological theory. I have made three incredibly important friends who also need recognition. First, I would like to thank Jesse Cale, whose aid in formatting this document preserved my sanity. Next, Camilla Sears, who was always encouraging and happy to help, ahd who also read many early drafts of this thesis. Finally, I need to thank Nicole LaFleur, who helped me through the stressful period leading up to the thesis defense, and who also read and edited several large portions of this work. TABLE OF CONTENTS .. Approval .............................................................................................................................zz ... Abstract .............................................................................................................................zzz Dedication ..........................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................v Table of Contents ...............................................................................................................vi ... List of Figures .................................................................................................................vzzz Chapter 1: Introduction ......................................................................................................1 The Problem To Be Studied .........................................................................................1 Methods .........................................................................................................................4 Outline of Chapters ....................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2: The Puzzle of Theory ......................................................................................7 The Philosophy of Science Debate ...............................................................................7 Offerings From Sociological Theoreticians............................................................... 17 Chapter 3: The Divided World of Criminological Theorizing .......................................31 The Crisis in Theory Production ............................................................................... 31 Other Attempts to Survey Criminological Theory ................................................... 42 Chapter 4: Organisms. Machines and Samurai .............................................................48 Foundations of the Monolith: The "Chicago School" Orienting Strategy ............ 48 The Working Out of The "Core Set": The Research of Shaw and McKay .......... 54 Branching Trajectories: Sutherland's Theory of Differential Association ........... 57 Sutherland: Criminological Colonist. Sociological Samurai ................................. 61 Robert Merton: Functionalist Prophet ....................................................................63 Connecting Traditions and Theoretical Branches ................................................... 69 Out of the Ashes: Agnew's General Theory of Strain ........................................74 Chapter 5: Bonds. Learning. and Duels .........................................................................76 Control Theory Orienting Strategy ........................................................................... 76 The Early Control Program: Cases of Non-Competitive Variants ........................ 77 Reaction from the West Coast: Dueling Unit Theories .......................................... 83 Akers' Social Learning Theory: Symbolic-Interactionism Strikes Back .............. 88 Battle for a General Theory of Crime and Deviance: Dueling Research Programs ...................................................................................................................... 91 Developmental Theories: Dueling Proliferants ....................................................... 94 Chapter 6: Conclusion .....................................................................................................98 The Importance of Proliferation ................................................................................ 99 Practical Uses of This Work .....................................................................................103 Suggestions For Further Research ..........................................................................104 References .......................................................................................................................107 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 4- 1: The Early "Chicago School" Research Program ..........................................51 Figure 5- 1: Control Research Program ............................................................................ 78 Figure 5-2: Social Learning Research Program ...............................................................89 Figure 5-3: