ABSTRACT
Control balance theory accepts the premise of extant control theories that constraint on ability to act constitutes the main variable in explaining individual acts of deviance or crime. Jack Gibbs delineates several kinds of control in terms of the objects to be regulated, including inanimate control, biotic control, self-control, various forms of control of others, and numerous specific forms of social control. Control balance theory portrays deviant motivation as a product of situational cost-benefit assessments, but this does not imply that potential deviants go through extensive mental calculations to arrive at motivating perceptions. Control balance theory identifies deviant motivation as a key variable for predicting deviant behavior and asserts that it varies from individual to individual and from situation to situation. The most important concepts in the theory are control, deviant motivation, constraint, and opportunity, but they are meaningful only in reference to a number of additional concepts.
