There are three main points that are reinforced in rational choice theory (Cornish and Clarke, 1986). First, it may work better or worse for different types of crime, however it is believed that there are rational choices in every type of crime, even impulsive and pathological crimes. Second, the theory should be applied on a crime-specific basis. Therefore, burglaries cannot be grouped into the residential and commercial categories. Rather, they need to be broken down into smaller aspects, such as burglaries in public homes or wealthy residential neighborhoods. Finally, a distinction is made between criminal involvement and criminal events. Criminal involvement describes how individuals become involved in crime and continue or abstain from this lifestyle. Criminal events have unique foundations, which are often shorter processes than structures of criminal involvement. Among the goals of rational choice theory is to explain all types of crime (Cornish and Clarke, 1986). However, it does not propose that there is an underlying unity between different types of crime like other theories. Instead, these different elements are important in explaining why such events occur. Furthermore, it incorporates factors that lead to crime, emphasizes the pattern of decisions over the course of a criminal career, and takes into account the situational variables of crime. In comparison, deterrence theory proposes that fear of legal punishment deters people from crime, while rational choice theory argues that in the act of choosing whether or not to commit a crime the benefits are weighed (Stafford and Warr, 1993; Cornish and Clarke, 1986). So, in both theories, pain is a cause for not committing crimes. Furthermore, deterrence theory has two children… in the middle of the paper… er, these three points show that development is a constant interaction between the self and the environment combined with chance or luck. Recognizing that luck plays a role, or more properly called “random development noise,” is important to show the significance of the randomness of the process. Thornberry (1987) recognizes the weight of social control theory, social learning theory and integrated models that combine the two. However, there are three limitations. First, causal structures are unidirectional rather than reciprocal. An example: social psychological research emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between values and delinquent behaviors. Second, these theories use models that are usually not developmental in nature, focusing only on one age group. Finally, they assume that causal effects in a social structure are similar everywhere.
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