Integrating motivating and constraining forces in deviance causation: a test of causal chain hypotheses in control balance theory

A major innovation in control balance theory is the integration of motivating and constraining forces into a "causal chain" explanation of deviance. To test these relationships, this research presents a parsed model of the causal chain that focuses on the associations among control ratios, deviant motivation, situational provocations, constraint, and deviant behavior. Results from a first-person scenario testing hypotheses from this model show that, as predicted, control ratios affect deviance both directly and indirectly through motivating and constraining variables. While the full model explains a out 39% of the variation in deviance, control ratios do not, however, show great explanatory power regarding variation in motivation and constraint.