ABSTRACT
Criminologists have relied for some time on the idea that if we were to understand what motivates individuals to commit crime, we would be able to identify the key factors to control this behavior. This em phasis on motivation has appeared in criminological theory over the past few decades with variations on what key factors shape inclina tions to offend. Included in the list are unrealized expectations, peer pressure, poor socialization, bad genes, and low self-control. Poverty, low education, or poor living conditions may also motivate individu als. When analysts have attempted to investigate how these motivating factors propel people to crime, they have concentrated on crime as an act rather than an event.
