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A 12 page research paper that examines the ongoing debate among criminologists concerning theory integration. This examination examines the parameters of this debate and argues that theory integration is a logical step for advancing this field. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
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12 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khcrith2.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
of theory development has resulted in a particular theoretical perspective gaining predominance from time to time, only to be successfully challenged and replaced by some other alternative view (Elliott, 1985).
While this process is progressive, Elliott argues that "Old theories never die, they just face away, only to emerge in slightly modified form at more opportune time" (p. 123). As
this suggests, historically, the process of theory development in criminology has been a competitive one. In contrast to this, Elliott (1985) maintains that theory development in the first half of
the 1980s has demonstrated a different process, in which there has been a "combining of elements of historically divergent theories into more inclusive and powerful theoretical models" (p. 123). The
following examination of theory integration within the parameters of criminology focuses on the various aspects of the ongoing scholarly debate about this topic. This interest in integration is in
direct response to the increasing "dissatisfaction" with the "empirical adequacy of classical theories of crime and delinquency" (Elliott, 1985, p. 124). At the heart of the integration approach is the
concept that the causes of crime and delinquency are multiple (Elliott, 1985). Criminologists now recognize that the causal process that lead to criminal behavior are more varied and complex than
as presented by traditional explanations (Elliott, 1985). Through integration, Elliott (1985) proposes that one achieves a theoretical framework that is more explanatory of criminal behavior than these theories are individually.
For instance, numerous scholars have noted that control theory provides a more satisfactory explanation of minor offenses than for serious ones, but that strain and learning theories offer a more
powerful explanation for serious offenses than for minor ones (Elliott, 1985). Elliott asserts that the "generally positive results" of integration efforts appears to offer theories that have greater "explanatory
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