Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1999. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-81). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 251-270.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Sociology, December 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1983. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-107).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Graham Knight. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-240). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Matt D. Childs, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of History. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 15, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 281 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Social control is an important element to consider when examining crime and delinquency within a neighborhood. To date, the majority of research pertaining to social control has focused on informal social control at the private level. Recent research has suggested, however, that informal social control at the parochial level is gaining significance due to changes within society. Using individuals' perceptions measured through survey data in Peoria, Illinois, this study seeks to determine if neighborhood structural and social characteristics, posited by social disorganization theory, influence parochial informal social control actions the same way they influence private informal social control actions. Results show that neighborhood structural characteristics influence citizen perceptions of parochial informal social control. Individuals' living in disadvantaged and racially/ethnically diverse neighborhoods were more likely to perceive their neighbors to participate in parochial informal social control actions, e.g. calling the police, than individuals' who live in more advantaged neighborhoods. This suggests that social disorganization theory does not explain parochial informal social control the same way that it has been shown to explain private informal social control. Future studies should rely upon a variety of theoretical perspectives to better test the determinants of parochial informal social control, as well as examine other factors (such as police-citizen relations) that may influence individuals' perceptions of their neighbors participation in parochial informal social control.

This theoretical study depicts and highlights the seemingly individual phenomenon of depression in a social and collective light. Shame and guilt naturally invoke negative responses in people, yet, this has been found beneficial for the social solidarity of a collective. However, such emotions are oftentimes imposed by people and institutions in authoritative positions on their subordinates as a form of social control. This social control is masked under the virtuous face of morality. Thus, it is difficult for an already unstable mind, such as the depressed, to distinguish between constructive and toxic feedback when applying it to the self. The contradiction that arises is that a collective system of common interest manifests in a marginalising fashion and causes the deviant to further deviate from the normative collective. The purpose and aim of this inquiry are thus to investigate how the social construction of emotions and morality contribute to the maintenance of depression. The theoretical background largely shapes the analysis and is based on Charles Cooley’s concept of the looking-glass self, and Emile Durkheim’s study on suicide. A literature review on the research phenomenon also acts as an essential tool within the analysis as it helps grasp the core of the topic. The methodological approach is of a theoretical fashion as opposed to empirical. Furthermore, it uses the inference of abduction to construct arguments that illustrate the most reasonable explanation for the social nature of depression. The results showed that there is indeed a correlation between depression, emotions, morality and social control that manifest in a case of structural depression. Furthermore, the findings illustrated a fine balance between the intentions of morality and social control through emotive imposition, and the reality which seldom benefits the deviant members of society. Finally, the abstract nature of this study introduced representational limitations which in future empirical research can be modified by addressing context-specific structural depression.

The primary focus of this study is to investigate the effects of social control mechanisms on public order crimes in Turkey. Supporting efforts of parochial control is a rising trend in crime control activities. Statements regarding the relationship between social disorganization variables, parochial control variables, and spatial distribution of crime have long been studied by researchers. Using the same assumptions in this study, I test their applicability to public order crimes in Turkey. The poverty and residential mobility variables had significant positive effect on public order crimes holding other structural and parochial variables constant. The number of public order crimes seems to be higher in provinces where there are more disrupted families. The number of public order crimes seems to be lower in provinces where there are more religious institutions. Overall, the results reveal that social structural variables and parochial control factors affect the institutional bases of provinces and partly affect the occurrence of public order crimes. Based on the study findings, several policy implications and recommendations for future research are suggested.

The purpose of this thesis is to empirically explore prostitution through a feminist perspective. Several background factors are explored on a small sample of women in the northeastern United States. Some of these women have been involved in an act of prostitution in their lifetime; some have not. This research will add to the body of knowledge on prostitution, as well as highlight the unique experiences of women. The goal is to understand whether or not these life experiences have had a hand in women's choices to engage in prostitution.