Colvin, Mark: Coercion Theory

Conceptual Framework

Coercion has been examined as a causal factor of crime and delinquency in several theories of criminology. Unfavorable family relations, including different forms of coercion (e.g., physical abuse, psychological pressures), for instance, are indicated to be the reason for delinquency at early ages. Early onset of criminality, in turn, increases the likelihood of engaging in delinquency during adolescence and in criminality during adulthood. In DCT, the term coercion refers to a power creating fear or anxiety that induces or threatens a person to do something. This power can exist in relations between individuals (interpersonal [Page 196]coercion) as well as in larger social contexts that are not directly related to individuals (impersonal coercion). While the latter version of coercion poses a macro-level effect on criminality, the former one is more of a micro-level factor affecting criminality. Coercion existing within the interpersonal relations can result from active or threatened use of force and several other physical or psychological intimidations between individuals. Coercion existing in the larger social context, within which an individual lives, usually results from socioeconomic pressures (i.e., poverty, unemployment, income inequality, lack of educational opportunities). Coercion at both the interpersonal and impersonal levels can also be in the form of active or threatened removal of social support that an individual receives from several sources.

Types of Coercion

DCT examines the relationship between coercion and criminality through a continuum of control ranging from coercive to non-coercive in different durations. According to this approach, control can range between coercive and non-coercive forms, and it can be applied on a consistent or an inconsistent (erratic) basis. When the extent of control and the amount of coercion involved is cross-tabulated, four different types of control emerge. For each type of control, different social-psychological and behavioral outcomes are predicted. Specifically, these different social-psychological states determine whether the individual subject to a respective type of control will display a complying or noncompliant (criminal) behavior. The four types of control are reviewed below.

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