ABSTRACT
Hirschi developed and identified four bonds to explain variability in delinquency. Gottfredson and Hirschi later refined the idea and proposed that family influences explained the developmental course of self-control during the first decade of life; in turn, it underlies variability in crime and deviance. In fact, Hirschi (2016) concluded that social control is self-control and vice versa. The present study tested the extent to which infant socialization predicted the developmental course of self-control from early childhood to middle adolescence. Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,109) were used to test this idea. Findings provide evidence of positive longitudinal effects on self-control by maternal sensitivity, by the home quality, and by secure attachment. These findings highlight a crucial role played by early infant socialization and the long-lasting effects on the variability and developmental changes in self-control into the second decade of life.
