Page 10 - Flipbook: Sociology Shortcuts Issue 5: Situational Action Theory
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“social disadvantage is linked to
crime because more people from
disadvantaged versus affluent
backgrounds develop a high crime
propensity and are exposed to
criminogenic contexts”.
Secondly, in the broader sense,
Wikstrom and Treiber clarify the
relationship between social
disadvantage and crime by noting
how: TEMPTATIONS
“social disadvantage is linked to
crime because more people from
disadvantaged versus affluent
backgrounds develop a high crime
propensity and are exposed to
criminogenic contexts”.
In other words, they explain the
relationship between social
disadvantage and crime as one
where the socially disadvantaged
are more-likely to engage in
criminal activity because social
disadvantage leads to a higher
crime propensity (people are less-
likely to have significant moral
qualms about committing crimes)
and lower levels of self-control
(they are more-likely to be affected
by social and economic frustrations
such as low-paid, menial, jobs /
casual work / unemployment and
give-in to the economic temptations
of living in a consumer society
without the legitimate means, such
as highly-paid work, to satisfy their
consumer cravings).
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