Social Bonds and Deviance Deviance is a term used to describe behavior that goes against established social and cultural norms. The concept of deviance is complex because norms vary considerably between groups, times and places. In essence, individuals commit deviant behaviors when society defines them as such. In the field of criminology there are numerous theories that attempt to explain why some people adopt deviant behaviors, while others refrain from committing them. One such theory is Travis Hirschi's social bond theory, which eventually becomes the model for subsequent control theories. This article will analyze aspects of social control theory and social bonds to see if they can discourage deviant behavior. Social control theory focuses on how a lack of close relationships with others can free individuals from social constraints, which in turn allows them to engage in crime. Unlike most criminological theories that purport to explain why people offend, control theories offer justification for why people obey rules (Cartwright, 2013). Social control theories focus primarily on external factors and the processes through which rules become effective. Followers of this theory believe that deviance and crime occur due to inadequate constraints. This theory also examines the lack of control a person has over society and explains how deviant behavior occurs in proportion to the strength of one's social bond. For the most part, social control theory assumes a shared value or belief in social norms. Therefore, even those who break laws or violate social norms share the general belief that those rules should be followed (Cartwright, 2013). Therefore, the essence of social control theory is… at the heart of the paper… people who grew up with bad parental figures and firmly believed that they had no place in conventional society. This was in line with Thornberry's concept of developmental changes at various stages of adolescence. When these individuals do not have a significant attachment to their family during their childhood, they have already begun to reject some of society's rules. This, coupled with Laub and Sampson's assertion that social ties increase an individual's social capital which in turn limits deviant behavior, almost guarantees a path to deviance for that individual. Furthermore, as Bouffard and Petkovesk's study showed, social ties actually have an effect on some types of deviant behavior. As mentioned above, the readings really convinced me that social bonds play a critical role in the decision to participate in deviant behavior.