The DOI matches its Crossref record; 10 of the 10 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Religion as Context: Hellfire and Delinquency One More Time
Abstract
More than 10 years ago the author proposed a contextual-interactional explanation of the fact that research done on the West Coast fails to find a relationship between religious commitment and delinquency, while studies done elsewhere invariably find a strong negatit)e correlation. Unfortunately, because of various deficiencies, subsequent studies that claimed to test the contextual explanation have not done so-leaving the literature more confused than ever. In an effort to clarify matters, this paper carefully restates the contextual thee and then tests it on data from a ve7y large survey of high school seniors. The results demonstrate the erastence of a very potent contextual effect.
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In the citing paper
“Of the 60 studies with quality ratings of 7 or higher, 49 (82%) reported inverse relationships [240–252] and only one study found a positive relationship [253].”
From Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications (2012) · cites this paper as [240]
In the citing paper
“Herein the full effect of religiosity on crime will be felt only in areas that are marked by a relatively high level of aggregate religiosity.”
From The Effect of Religiosity on Tax Fraud Acceptability: A Cross‐National Analysis (2006) · cites this paper as Stark 1996
In the citing paper
“First, the overwhelming majority of studies fail to test the moral communities hypothesis that holds that individual-level religiosity will have the strongest effect on deviance when individual-level religiosity is reinforced by a high level of religiosity in the community (Baier and Wright 2001;Regnerus 2003;Stark 1996).”
From The Effect of Religiosity on Tax Fraud Acceptability: A Cross‐National Analysis (2006) · cites this paper as Stark 1996
In the citing paper
“The first measure of a moral community is based on the religious heterogeneity meaning of moral community (Stark 1996).This is simply whether a nation has at least 50 percent of its population affiliating with any religion.”
From The Effect of Religiosity on Tax Fraud Acceptability: A Cross‐National Analysis (2006) · cites this paper as Stark 1996
Citations
Cites
Hirschi, T., & Stark, R. (1969) · Social Problems · doi:10.2307/799866 · Cited by 559
Self-citationReligion and Delinquency: the Ecology of a "Lost" Relationship
Stark, R., Kent, L., & Doyle, D. P. (1982) · Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency · doi:10.1177/002242788201900102 · Cited by 325
Self-citationHellfire and Delinquency: Another Look
Burkett, S. R., & White, M. F. (1974) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1384608 · Cited by 313
Religiosity and Deviance: Toward a Contingency Theory of Constraining Effects
Tittle, C. R., & Welch, M. R. (1983) · Social Forces · doi:10.1093/sf/61.3.653 · Cited by 312
Cochran, J. K., & Akers, R. L. (1989) · Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency · doi:10.1177/0022427889026003002 · Cited by 256
Hellfire and Delinquency Revisited
Higgins, P. C., & Albrecht, G. L. (1977) · Social Forces · doi:10.1093/sf/55.4.952 · Cited by 145
Elifson, K. W., Petersen, D. M., & Hadaway, C. K. (1983) · Criminology · doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.1983.tb00277.x · Cited by 135
Religiosity and Deviance: Application of an Attitude-Behavior Contingent Consistency Model
Albrecht, S. L., Chadwick, B. A., & Alcorn, D. S. (1977) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1385697 · Cited by 129
The ''Religious Factor" and Delinquent Behavior
Rhodes, A. L., & Reiss, A. J. J. (1970) · Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency · doi:10.1177/002242787000700108 · Cited by 99
Cochran, J. K., Beeghley, L., & Bock, E. (1992) · Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · doi:10.2307/1386855 · Cited by 91
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Koenig, H. G., VanderWeele, T. J., & Peteet, J. R. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780190088859.003.0003 · Cited by 1
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Metadata
- Authors
- Stark, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Washington (US)
- Corresponding author
- Stark, Rodney
- Venue
- Sociology of Religion
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1996
- Volume
- 57
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 163
- ISSN
- 1069-4404 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2163430099
- Cited by
- 449
- References
- 10
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 25 · 2012: 21
- FWCI
- 8.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Sociology of Religion (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
- Keywords
- religious commitment, delinquency, hellfire, contextual effects, high school seniors, juvenile delinquency
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