Containment Theory Paper Example

Introduction

Many criminological theorists have tried to explain people's engagement in delinquency and crime. Majority of these theorists seek to explain why individuals engage in crime by evaluating the social factors that make people more or less susceptible to criminal acts. However, control theorists put forward that delinquency is likely to occur unless people conform to all the social strains placed on them. Essentially, various several societal norms impose limits on members of the society preventing them from taking part in deviant behavior.

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Containment theory is a form of control theory conceived by Walter C. Reckless in the early 1960s. The theory is a precursor of contemporary control theories such as the self-control theory. As such, the containment theory aims at explaining deviance and crime among young populations. The basis of containment theory, as well as other control theories of delinquency, is that behavior must be controlled. However, in the absence of suitable controls, individuals will deviate. Although the theory has fallen out of trend in recent times, it is commonly referenced in the criminological works, and some claim it is the forerunner to modern control theories of criminality and delinquency. Containment theory, therefore, puts forward that individuals have the potential to violate the law and contemporary society presents many opportunities for criminal activities.

History of Containment Theory

Containment was an alien policy method followed by the United States during the Cold War. First formulated by George F. Kennan, a Foreign Service Officer in 1947, the approach stated that communism needed to be controlled or else it would advance to neighboring states (Hickman, 2018). United States foreign policy advisors thought that once a country feels to communism, the surrounding nations would fall victim as well, just like a row of dominoes. This notion was called the domino theory. Adherence to containment policy and the domino approach ultimately led to the American intervention in Vietnam and Central parts of The United States and Grenada.

The Cold War started after the WWII when countries formerly under the rule of Nazi ended up splitting between the conquests of the U.S.S.R and the newly freed nations of Poland, France and the rest of Europe that was occupied by the Nazi. Since America had been a significant factor in liberating western Europe, it found itself significantly involved in this newly alienated continent. Eastern Europe was not being turned back into autonomous states but rather being placed under military and Soviet rule.

Moreover, western Europe states appeared to be quivering in their democracies due to social agitation and collapsing economies. The U.S, therefore, began to suspect that the Soviet Union was intentionally disrupting these states in a bid to bring them into the pleats of communism. Even the nations themselves were splitting in half over the idea of moving forward and recovering from the last world war. This led to a lot of political and military chaos for the next years with extremes such as the creation of the Berlin Wall to separate East Germany from West Germany due to opposition to communism.

The U.S developed its containment policy to stop the spread of communism into Europe and the rest of the world. The concept was first conceived in George Kennan's long message which he sent from the American Embassy in Moscow. The memo reached Washington D.C on 22nd February 1946 and was widely circulated in the White House. Later on, Kennan published the document naming it "The Sources of Soviet Conduct" which was later known as X article since Kennan identified himself with the pseudo "Mr. X."

The containment strategy was embraced by President Harry as part of his Truman Doctrine in 1947. As such, the approach redefined America's foreign policy as one that supports people who are resisting attempted suppression by substantial minorities or outside pressures. This came during the Greek Civil War when much of the world was waiting to see which direction would Greece go. In this regard, the United States agreed to help both Greece and Turkey to avoid the possibility of the Soviet Union leading them to communism.

Acting with intent to involve itself in the border states and prevent communism, the United States led a movement that would finally lead to the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization commonly known as NATO. The alliance represented a multi-national commitment to stop the spread of communism. In response to this, the Soviet Union signed an agreement known as the Warsaw Pact with Romani, Hungary and other states.

Containment remained a vital aspect to United States foreign policy throughout the Cold War. As such, this saw an increase in tension between America and the Soviet Union. In 1955, the U. S entered a proxy war with the Soviet Union by sending troops into Vietnam to support the battle against communism (U.S Department of State, n.d.). The war lasted until 1975 when North Vietnamese took control of the city of Saigon. Moreover, a similar conflict happened in Korea in the early 1950s which was similarly divided into two states. In the conflict between North and South Korea, the U.S supported South Korea while the Soviet Union backed North Korea. The war came to an end with a truce in 1953 and the formation of the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a barrier between the two states.

Objectives/Principles of Containment Theory

Containment theory is one of the earliest control theories which focuses on what stops people from engaging in delinquency. As stated above, this theory enjoyed much of its popularity in the 50s and 60s and has become a staple field in criminology. While according to some people, the approach has gone out of trend in recent times, containment theory has maintained its foundational place in criminology. Some of the main principles of containment theory are outlined as follows:

The first concept of the containment theory was established when Reckless was exploring the defects of other methods meant to explain crime. Reckless found out that social disorganization approaches to the study of crime enjoyed much popularity. However, he believed that social disorganization alone was inadequate to address the issue of delinquency entirely. As such, this meant that these approaches needed something more to explain the aspects of crime and delinquency further.

Containment theory assumes that individuals are prone to getting in trouble. The idea is that they must be contained or controlled from committing criminal acts (Flexon, Cullen, & Wilcox, 2010). The core of containment theory is control, that is social safeguards that shield the individual from committing a crime. Containment theory, therefore, rests on the principles of control.

The main social containment models are inner and outer containment. Inner containment consists of personal social restraints over behavior (Kennedy, 2015). Reckless believed that these comprised of self-control, ego strength and a good self-concept among other aspects. Necessarily, these are the qualities that serve as inner regulators against criminal behavior. Outer containment, on the other hand, dealt with structural buffers in the youth's social environment that served to control them. These social controls include institutional reinforcement of norms, expectations, adequate supervision, safety values, belongingness, and opportunity for acceptance among other factors. According to Reckless, these aspects served to contain the youth against delinquency.

Reckless believed that external pressures can influence people to the extent that they are not contained or safeguarded. For that reason, inner and outer containment serve as a shield from these environmental factors. As such, external conditions may steer people towards crime and may take various forms such as conflict, poverty, deprivations, minority status, discord, limited access to success and external restraint. Reckless also described these external factors as environmental pulls that may serve to attract some people towards deviancy. According to Reckless, pulls could be carriers of criminal patterns, temptations, environmental disruptions, and people's cultures.

Additionally, he Reckless considered pushes as internal motivators that drive individuals towards deviancy. These pushes may include inner frustrations, disappointments, restlessness, rebellion, internal drives, and inferiority complex. He also recognized that some extreme internal forces could not be contained such as those resulting from mental illnesses, for instance, compulsions. Reckless maintained that such compulsions were beyond the abilities of typical, ordinary containment.

Moreover, another principle about the containment theory is that normative behavior is brought about by resisting deviancy and directing people towards certain social expectations. Generally, both inner and outer containment is vital between the pressures of the external surrounding and internal pushes.

Positive Attributes

Commitment

An individual who engages in activity views themselves as having a stake in conformity. In this regard, when an opportunity of deviance arises, the cost of this behavior and the risks of losing the investment the individual made is typical behavior. As such, people who are committed to a particular activity are less inclined to engage in crime as the costs exceed the rewards of criminal acts (Cardwell, 2013). Moreover, the commitment concept suggests that society is designed in a way that the interests of most individuals would be endangered if they were to engage in delinquency. For this reason, people are not only committed to various institutions, but they are also devoted to conformity and societal norms.

Involvement

This is the time spent in conventional activities. People who are involved in activities for extended periods are generally tied to deadlines, working schedules, and appointments. It is not easy for such individuals to think about deviant acts. Young people are more inclined to engage in crime when they lack structured activities. More leisure time is likely to make them participate in delinquency.

Belief

Containment theory puts forward that the society has a value system which determines what standards and behaviors are acceptable. Whether people believe in this system determines if they take part in criminal activities. For instance, people who are socialized into accepting delinquency norms usually engage in crime while those socialized into following the law usually desist from a felony. The acceptance or non-acceptance of norms is mainly determined by early life experiences. When adults stress the importance of following the law during childhood, the belief becomes imparted in the youth. Nonetheless, without such events, the bond becomes weaker which in the long run may lead to crime.

Flaws/Limitations of Containment Theory

According to Reckless, there are problems with containment theories particularly and control models generally. As such, Reckless observed that there is a general lack of testable accounts about containment and the projected relationship with deviant acts. Reckless thought that research would serve to identify the inner and outer containment that act as controls of normative behavior. Furthermore, he stated that in the long run, he would have to determine whether the inner and outer regulatory systems worked together. Unfortunately, a theory written in this manner is likely to lead to more speculations than answers.

Another drawback of containment theory is the limited ability to explain female deviance since socialization processes possibly differ between males and females concerning self-concept. According to containment theory, a good self-concept should buffer individuals fr...