CHARACTER AND CRIME: AN EMPIRICAL TEST OF RIESMAN'S INNER AND OTHER DIRECTEDNESS
Open Access
Author:
Hamilton, Kathleen
Graduate Program:
Crime, Law and Justice
Degree:
Master of Arts
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
June 25, 2008
Committee Members:
Jeffery Todd Ulmer, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Keywords:
reference point drugs crime
Abstract:
David Riesman's ideal types of character, inner directed and other directed, describe an individual's orientation to others. An inner directed person's conforming behavior and values come from parents while an other directed person's come from peers. The two types are said to conform in different ways; they seem to deviate in different ways as well. Although Riesman focused a great deal on the collective and cultural implications of inner and other directedness, this paper focuses on inner and other directedness as an individual level orientation relating to peer influence, family social bonding, and drug/alcohol use. Using an undergraduate sample of 1106 students from eight general elective introductory courses I examine the relationship between inner and other directedness and illegal substance use. Other directed individuals are more likely to use illegal substances, and to use them more often. Models including a control for age indicate that inner and other directedness may be tied to individual development. Because of relationships among directedness, peer delinquency, and family bonds, inner and other directedness may be useful to incorporate into theories of differential association/social learning and social bonds. Even in the presence of such strong predictors of delinquency, inner and other directedness is still significant and substantive.
