Reactive Criminal Thinking as a Consequence of Low Self-Control and Prior Offending

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to determine if low self-control and prior serious offending serve as antecedents to reactive criminal thinking. Cross-lagged correlations between low self-control and serious offending were examined in 5,427 male and female members of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) in an effort to determine their effect on subsequent reactive criminal thinking. Results from a five-equation path analysis showed that the two cross-lagged relationships were equally predictive of reactive criminal thinking. These findings suggest that reactive criminal thinking may have its roots in low self-control and prior serious offending.

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Glenn D. Walters

GLENN D. WALTERS is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice department at Kutztown University (Pennsylvania) where he teaches classes in corrections, substance misuse and crime, and research methods. He received his Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Texas Tech University in 1982. His work has been published in various journals including Criminal Justice and Behavior, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Journal of Criminal Justice, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Law and Human Behavior, and Psychological Assessment. Dr. Walters’ current research interests include offender assessment, offender change, mediation analysis, and development of an overarching psychological theory of criminal behavior