RT Article
T1 Are All Aspirations and Expectations Alike? A Longitudinal Test of Domain-Specific Effects of Future Beliefs on Offending
JF Journal of developmental and life-course criminology
VO 10
IS 1
SP 73
OP 96
A1 Lee, Heejin
A2 Petrich, Damon M.
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1890854913
AB Major criminological theories contend that criminal behavior is affected by our perceptions of the future, including the goals we aspire to and our expectations about the possibility of achieving them. However, it is unclear whether aspirations or expectations have stronger influences on deviance. In addition, scant attention has been paid to the possibility that the effects of these perceptions depend on the domains of goals one values (e.g., education, career, family) or on the offense type. The current study uses seven years of data from the Pathways to Desistance study to examine these hypotheses. Modeling within-individual change in future beliefs over time, the findings support that some forms of aspirations and expectations decrease offending, whereas others have null effects. The aspiration for college education, the expectation of employment, and both related to lawful future selves are notable in crime reduction. Policy implications include the importance of structural opportunities and positive identity construction.
K1 Domain-specific effect
K1 Future belief
K1 Future orientation
K1 Expectation
K1 Aspiration
DO 10.1007/s40865-024-00251-8