Low Self-Control and Environmental Harm: A Theoretical Perspective and Empirical Test

• Published in: American journal of criminal justice Vol. 45; no. 5; pp. 933 - 954
• Main Authors: Partin, Raymond D., Stojakovic, Nevena, Alqahtani, Mohammed, Meldrum, Ryan C., Pires, Stephen F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-10-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antisocial behavior; Behavior problems; Criminology and Criminal Justice; Deviance; Law and Criminolgy; Littering; Personality disorders; Self control; General theory of crime; Environmental crime; Low self-control; Environmental harm; Littering
• ISSN: 1066-2316; 1936-1351
• DOI: 10.1007/s12103-019-09514-3

Research finds low self-control is associated with a myriad of delinquent, criminal, and antisocial behaviors. Less attention, however, has been directed at investigating whether low self-control is related to environmental harm. The current study contributes to this area of research in two ways. First, we explicate why low self-control would relate to environmental harms committed by individuals. Second, using data collected on a sample of approximately 500 adults from southeastern Florida, we test whether low self-control is associated with the specific environmental harm of littering. Results indicate low self-control increases the likelihood of both past littering behavior as well as projected littering behavior. Supplementary analyses demonstrate low self-control is associated with higher frequency littering but not lower frequency littering. Discussion centers on the implications of the findings, study limitations, and a call for additional research to investigate the association between low self-control and a broader array of environmental harms.