ABSTRACT
Prior research has demonstrated a substantial level of continuity in antisocial behavior over the life course. Robins has suggested that, “…adult antisocial behavior virtually requires childhood antisocial behavior…” (1978: 611). At the same time, however, there is a substantial degree of change evident in delinquent behavior; many offenders, even those with an early onset of antisocial behavior, do not persist in their offending. This leads to the second part of what has come to be called Robins’ paradox: “…yet most antisocial children do not become antisocial adults” (1978: 611). How can we account for this twin observation—that childhood antisocial behavior is almost a prerequisite for later antisocial behavior, yet most children who are antisocial outgrow that behavior and avoid later involvement in delinquency and crime? In this chapter, we offer an explanation of both continuity and change in antisocial behavior that is rooted in interactional theory, first proposed by Thornberry (1987) and later extended by Thornberry and Krohn (2001).
