Final answer:
Life-events influencing delinquency include significant changes like altering financial state or schooling, which can push individuals towards or away from deviant behaviours. Travis Hirschi's Control Theory suggests that strong social bonds deter crime, and events that affect these bonds, like changes in school or living conditions, can influence delinquency.
Step-by-step explanation:
A major life-event that may influence the likelihood to persist and desist with delinquency is the experience of a significant change in one's life. This could encompass various types of events such as a change in financial state, beginning or ending school, change in living conditions, or significant changes in social activities. These events can either increase the likelihood of persisting with delinquent behaviors, or they can serve as turning points that lead individuals to desist from such activities.
One of the theories that explore this concept is Travis Hirschi's Control Theory, which suggests that social bonds and connections to society play a crucial role in preventing deviant behavior. Hirschi identified four types of social bonds—attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief—that, when strong, can act as deterrents to crime and delinquency.
For instance, commitment to school and the fear of getting bad grades can deter delinquent behavior, while factors like growing up in impoverished areas, as pointed out by the social disorganization theory, may increase the likelihood of engaging in deviant behaviors. Accordingly, lif...e events such as starting or finishing school can significantly alter an individual's trajectory with respect to delinquency.