Drug abuse has become a significant concern world over with the number of drug addicts increasing. Various scholars have set out to explain the worrying trend, but their explanations have not been conclusive. Drug abuse has existed over the decades and ruined many promising lives, which explains why many jurisdictions have established regulations to contain the problem. In addition, various theories have tried to describe criminal behavior related to drug abuse. Notably, drug addiction cases affect all the age groups, but the youths have been the worst hit by the menace. Generally, this paper discusses three social theories that explain criminal behavior linked to drug abuse.
Social control theory indicates that individual’s values, norms, beliefs, commitments, and relationships can embolden them not to break the law. Ideally, a society that does not have the elements listed above makes it easier for people to engage in drug abuse behavior ( Eiseman, Wingard, & Huba, 2019). Moreover, a community that has the above norms but does not reinforce the values encourages people to continue with the vice of drug abuse. Norms establish boundaries over activities that individuals can engage in and those that are forbidden, such as drug abuse. Values, rules, and beliefs act as hindrances or barriers to developing drug abuse behavior. The norms unconsciously restrict the individuals and influence their decision on whether to abuse drugs or not, especially if the norms set punishment for such behavior. Overall, social norms, beliefs, and values regulate the behavior of people in society and deter them from engaging in practices that are deemed unlawful.
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Albert Bandura advanced the social learning theory, which indicates that individuals learn from one another by modeling, imitation, and observation. The theory explains drug abuse behavior in that when a person keeps the company of drug abusers, the individual eventually learns the same behavior. One would want to imitate what others do in their environment. Indeed, observing people engaging in the abuse of a particular drug would tempt the observer to do the same out of curiosity. Eiseman, Wingard, & Huba (2019) note that drug abuse problem begins with exposure to drug abusers. For instance, children at school start abusing drugs the moment they begin keeping the company of those who abuse drugs. Overall, the environment has a lot of influence on the behavior of a person. Individuals learn certain behaviors, both consciously and unconsciously.
Moreover, the social reaction theory can be used to explain criminal behavior linked to drug abuse. The theory holds that labels used to classify or describe people influence their behavior and self-identity. Ideally, drug abuse has always been associated with teenagers who, out of naivety, are hooked to the menace. Some teenagers get into drug abuse to live to their labels. Drug abuse among teenagers appears to be fashionable, and many of them have engaged in the vice to fit in the group. According to Downes, Rock, & McLaughlin (2016), s ocial reaction theory has affected many African Americans in the U.S more than any other group. Many of them are believed to be drug abusers even when they are not. In addition, many have started engaging in drug abuse to live to the expectations of the public and in the process, turned into addicts. Overall, labels influence behavior as individuals tend to accommodate and make the labels part of them.
In conclusion, the essay has described three social theories that have been advanced by various scholars to explain criminal behavior often linked to criminal behavior. The theories include the social control theory, which holds that people’s values, beliefs, commitments, and norms embolden them not to break the law. On the other hand, the social leaning theory indicates that individuals learn from one another through modeling, imitation, and observation. Lastly, the social learning theory holds that the labels used to classify or describe people influence their behavior and self-identity.
References
Eiseman, S., Wingard, J. A., & Huba, G. J. (2019). Drug abuse: Foundation for a psychosocial approach . Routledge.
Downes, D., Rock, P. E., & McLaughlin, E. (2016). Understanding deviance: a guide to the sociology of crime and rule-breaking . Oxford University Press.
