The utility of joint use of the Low Self-Control Scale and the Brief Self-Control Scale in explaining adolescent deviance
| Author | Jian-Bin Li,Alexander T. Vazsonyi |
| DOI | 10.1177/1477370819845745 |
| Published date | 01 March 2021 |
| Date | 01 March 2021 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1477370819845745
European Journal of Criminology
2021, Vol. 18(2) 254 –273
© The Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/1477370819845745
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The utility of joint use of the
Low Self-Control Scale and
the Brief Self-Control Scale
in explaining adolescent
deviance
Jian-Bin Li
The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Alexander T. Vazsonyi
University of Kentucky, USA
Abstract
According to the general theory of crime, low self-control is the main cause of deviance. How to
assess self-control is crucial because examination of the general theory of crime and assessment
of adolescent risk of committing deviance relies on self-control measures. This study aims to
examine whether two well-known cognitive scales of self-control, namely Grasmick etal.’s Low
Self-Control Scale (LSCS) and Tangney etal.’s Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS), explain unique, shared,
and addictive variance in deviance in a sample of Czech adolescents (N = 631). The results
support that the two scales, when operated as total scores, explained both unique and shared
variance in deviance and that joint use of the two scales explained more variance in deviance. In
addition, when the LSCS was operated as components, some components were more able than
other components to explain deviance. Similarly, each component and the BSCS, when used
together, explained unique, shared, and addictive variance in deviance. Theoretical and practical
implications are discussed.
Keywords
Deviance, the general theory of crime, measurement, self-control, structural equation modeling
Corresponding author:
Jian-Bin Li, Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, B2-1/F-05,
10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Email: lijianbin@eduhk.hk
845745EUC0010.1177/1477370819845745European Journal of CriminologyLi and Vazsonyi
research-article2019
Article
Li and Vazsonyi 255
Introduction
Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) general theory of crime is one of the most influential
theories in criminology. This theory proposes that low self-control, an umbrella construct
that contains multiple components, is the main predictor of crime and deviance, inde-
pendent of culture, ethnicity, sex, and age. Supporting this theory, ample research find-
ings show that adolescents with low self-control engage in more criminal and deviant
acts (Finkenauer et al., 2005; Hay, 2001; Moffitt et al., 2011; Özbay, 2008; Pratt and
Cullen, 2000; Situ et al., 2016; Vazsonyi and Belliston, 2007; Vazsonyi and Crosswhite,
2004; Vazsonyi et al., 2001; Vazsonyi et al., 2017). Given the importance of low self-
control to adolescent deviance, it is not surprising that self-control measures are included
in the assessment of adolescent risk of committing crime and delinquency (Borum et al.,
2006; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2014).
The strategy to assess self-control is a crucial issue because examination of the gen-
eral theory of crime and the assessment of adolescent risk in committing deviance relies
on self-control measures. Self-control is a complex construct that contains various ele-
ments (Tittle et al., 2003), and scholars recommend using multiple measures to assess
self-control, because doing so can more fully capture this construct and increase its
predictive utility (Duckworth and Kern, 2011; Duckworth and Seligman, 2005). Prior
research examines whether self-control, when assessed by both cognitive scale and
laboratory task, predicts adolescent deviance better than use of a single measure (Fine
et al., 2016). The findings suggest that cognitive scale is sufficient in explaining adoles-
cent deviance and that a behavioral measure does not add incremental benefits. In this
study, we examine another assessment strategy – whether joint use of two well-known
cognitive scales of self-control, namely the Low Self-Control Scale (LSCS, Grasmick
et al., 1993) and the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS, Tangney et al., 2004), can explain
shared, unique, and addictive variance in deviance in a sample of Czech adolescents. To
date, this idea has attracted little research and the results will have implications for the
assessment of self-control and the examination of the general theory of crime.
The concept of self-control
The general theory of crime implies that low self-control is a lack of restraint on behav-
ior and assumes that it is an umbrella construct that consists of six components (that is,
impulsiveness, self-centeredness, preference of simple over complicated tasks, risk seek-
ing, preference of physical over mental activity, and loss of temper) that are likely to
come together in the same people. The theory articulates that individuals with low self-
control tend to have a ‘here and now’ response to tangible stimuli, to lack diligence,
tenacity, or persistence in a course of action, to be adventuresome, active and physical,
to not prepare for long-term pursuits, to possess few manual skills, to be self-centered,
indifferent, or insensitive to the suffering and needs of others, and to have minimal toler-
ance for frustration and little ability to respond to conflict through verbal rather than
physical means (Gottfredson and Hirschi: 89–90).
Besides criminology, self-control is also widely studied in psychology and it is termed
and defined differently in different branches (Nigg, 2017). In developmental psychology,
self-control is often known as effortful control and defined as one’s ability to suppress
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