ABSTRACT
Individuals differ considerably in terms of their risk of victimization. Accordingly, this chapter focuses on the individual-level sources and correlates of victimization. This will include a discussion of key demographic correlates of victimization, including age, gender, and race. These factors are then placed in the context of the theoretical developments that have attempted to explain these correlates, including early perspectives like “victim precipitation,” to the more dominant perspectives like risky lifestyle and routine activity theories. The chapter then goes on to review recent research concerning the psychological (e.g., levels of self-control), behavioral (e.g., risky lifestyles), and biosocial correlates of victimization, and what the empirical research has to say about the level of support afforded to these perspectives. It ends with a discussion of gaps and challenges as we move ahead, as well as a listing of key readings and discussion questions.
