Does the Effect of Self-Control On Adolescent Offending Vary By Level of Morality?

Abstract

This study examines whether morality and self-control have an interactional effect on offending. Drawing from the situational action theory, the authors hypothesize that self-control has a more important effect on offending for individuals with low levels of morality than for individuals with high levels of morality. To test this hypothesis, self-report data were used from three independent samples of young adolescents in Antwerp, Belgium ( N = 2,486); Halmstad, Sweden ( N = 1,003); and South-Holland, the Netherlands ( N = 1,978). The findings provide strong support for the hypothesis that the effect of self-control on offending is dependent on the individual’s level of morality. The similarity of the results across three independent samples suggests that the findings are robust among different cultural backgrounds and among studies with different operationalizations of the central concepts of interest.

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