BELIEF

Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2011

The degree to which an individual believes in conventional values, morality, and the legitimacy of law. In Travis Hirschi's work, aspects of the ‘social bond’.

Belief is also an important factor when measuring social bonds and is defined as the “acceptance of a conventional value system” (Durkin et al., 1999).

The four components of social bond theory are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief (Hirschi, 1969). 

Hirschi states that when individuals do not believe that they should conform to social convention, they are more likely to break the law, and that teenagers are not exceptions to social conventions.

Hirschi believes that attachment to others can help prevent delinquent behavior.

Lawslegal or culturalnorms, belief systems, traditions all play a determining role in various aspects of our lives.

A school's climate often refers to the unwritten beliefs, values, and attitudes of the school, and the interaction between students, teachers and administrators as well as organizational characteristics of the school (Anderson, 1982; Welsh et al., 2001).

Social Bond Theory and College Student Marijuana and Alcohol Use: A Comparative Analysis between Two Causal Models
Lindsay Ejnik, University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh
Abstract: This study will attempt to find whether high parental attachment to parent(s) with conventional or unconventional beliefs can have a strong impact on the marijuana use and excessive alcohol consumption among college students. Whether the degree of “social bond” (as described by Travis Hirschi) has an effect on frequency of college student alcohol and marijuana use will be investigated through a comparative analysis between two separate casual models (a causal model of alcohol use and a causal model of marijuana use). The degree of social bonds (i.e. parental attachments, involvement, commitment, and belief) and the degree of alcohol and marijuana use among these students will be determined through a self-report survey administered to a randomly selected group of students attending a Midwestern university. The self-report survey contains items covering the fundamental concept of social bond theory, as well as, items referring to individual student alcohol and marijuana use. Parental attitudes toward the use of alcohol and marijuana were assessed in the survey to find a causal relationship between these factors and frequency of college student alcohol and marijuana use. The comparative analysis focuses on determining if “social bond theory” is better suited to explain college student alcohol use or college student marijuana use, or whether or not the theory is effective or ineffective at explaining both. The results of this study conclude that 21.5% of binge drinking done by the college students in this sample can be explained by social bond theory, while only 7.4% of marijuana use is explained. Upon further examination, the researcher examined peer cluster theory measure its possible explanatory effect on marijuana and alcohol use among college students. The results were 16.3% of alcohol use explained and 32% of marijuana use explained.

Religiosity and Perceived Future Ascetic Deviance and Delinquency among Mormon Adolescents: Testing the "This-Worldly" Supernatural Sanctions Thesis 
Mark A. Harris
Sociological Inquiry, Vol. 73 Issue 1 Page 28 - Feb. 2003 doi:10.1111/1475-682X.00040
Previous religiosity-delinquency research primarily explores hellfire belief and aspects of religious social bonding. Both hellfire belief and religious social bonding have been hypothesized to reduce delinquency. Borrowing from classical deterrence theory, there are strong theoretical reasons for believing that an additional dimension of religiosity—namely, belief in "this-worldly" supernatural sanctions (i.e., belief that God rewards and punishes in this life)—may also be inversely related to adolescent delinquency. This dimension of religiosity has not been explored in past empirical research. This article addresses this lack by specifically testing whether belief in this-worldly supernatural sanctions is related to subjectively perceived future ascetic deviance and delinquency among a sample of 1,393 adolescent members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (i.e., the Mormons). Logistic regression results indicate that, along with religious social bonding, belief in this-worldly supernatural sanctions has an independent effect on perceived future ascetic deviance (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use) and perceived future delinquency (e.g., property and personal offenses) when controlling for relevant demographic and theoretical variables. - blackwell-synergy.com

Sexual aggression and cognitive structures: Narcissism, Machiavellianism and entitlement
Author: David R. Champion, Chair: Dr. Randy L. Martin, ISBN: 0-493-32729-0 -
Abstract: This study sought to identify cognitively structured belief systems of men that are associated with sexual aggression. The structures of narcissism, Machiavellianism were tested among other variables in order to determine if certain entitling belief systems had a relationship with sexual violence. Established instruments that measured narcissism, Machiavellianism and sexual aggression were administered to a sample of 308 male students. The subjects were also asked if they participated in collegiate athletics or fraternities, as well as their ages, sexual experience and number of credits earned in college. The results were analyzed via descriptive statistics, comparison of means, correlations, and regression. The results indicated that high sexual aggressors tended to be high in narcissism, Machiavellianism and sexual experience. Age was also positively correlated with sexual aggression. However, these variables did not contribute or explain sexual aggression, they were merely associated with it. The other variables were unrelated to sexual aggression. This study indicates that certain personality structures might be associated with sexual aggression, and that these should be further investigated to develop a greater understanding of the causes of this criminal activity. Men who report high sexual experience may also tend to be more sexually aggressive because of their self-serving cognitions. 

Predictors of rape myth acceptance among criminology and non-criminology students
Author: Dawna L. Komorosky, Chair: Dr. Jamie Martin
Source: DAI-A 64/05, p. 1856, Nov 2003, Year: 2003 Publication No.: AAT 3090479 - hhs.iup.edu/cr/ 2001-2004%20Dissertation%20Abstracts.doc
Abstract: This study investigates predictors of rape myth acceptance among 450 college men and women across discipline and grade level. Many Criminology students will become professionals within the criminal justice system. In this capacity, rape myths can effect their perceptions of victims of sexual violence. This study is an attempt to understand what the predictors of rape myth acceptance are, and which groups are more likely to subscribe to them. The data collected in this study was guided by the current literature on rape, feminist and social learning research that addresses socialization in a patriarchal society, and the definitions, consequences, and perceptions of rape myths. The sample used was drawn from both Criminology and Non-Criminology students, and stratified by the amount of credits earned. The data was then analyzed with multiple regression and comparative models. The results indicate that men are more likely to accept rape myths than women. Also, underclassmen had higher levels of rape myths acceptance than upperclassmen among this population. The attitudinal scales used in this study (Sex Role Stereotypes, Adversarial Sexual Beliefs, and Sexual Conservatism) also proved to be strong predictors of rape myths acceptance.

SCHOOL SECURITY PRACTICES: INVESTIGATING THEIR CONSEQUENCES ON STUDENT FEAR, BONDING AND SCHOOL CLIMATE
Shannon Womer Phaneuf, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 "They concluded that school's normative beliefs influence violence and aggressive behavior net of individual personal beliefs." "The final element of the social bond is belief, which refers to the acceptance of the norms
and rules of conventional society. This element of the bond focuses on respect for the laws and rules of society and for the people and institutions responsible for upholding those laws and rules. According to Hirschi's theory, children who believe they should obey laws and rules are less likely to engage in delinquency and other deviant behaviors compared to children who do not believe in the validity and authority of the law and rules of society."

Fishbein, Martin, and Icek Ajzen. 1975. Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. 

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