Why Children Follow Rules: Legal Socialization and the Development of Legitimacy

As with all social institutions, learning about law and how to relate to it is an important part of growing up. In Why Children Follow Rules, Tom R. Tyler and Rick Trinkner focus on legal socialization, the process by which children and adolescents form their orientation toward the law, and outline what is known about the process across three related, but distinct, contexts: family, school, and the juvenile justice system. They emphasize the degree to which individuals develop their orientations toward law upon values of responsibility and obligation, as opposed to fear of punishment. They further argue that when individuals experience authority that is fair, respectful, and aware of the limits of power, they are more likely to consent and voluntarily follow directives. Yet, strong pressures and popular support for the exercise of authority based on dominance and force persist. Given the low levels of public trust and confidence in the police, as well as the legal system in general, Why Children Follow Rules offers an invaluable tool for understanding how people come to understand their relationship with the law.

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Tyler, Tom R.

Trinkner, Rick

Psychology & Counseling

Oxford University Press

As with all social institutions, learning about law and how to relate to it is an important part of growing up. In Why Children Follow Rules, Tom R. Tyler and Rick Trinkner focus on legal socialization, the process by which children and adolescents form their orientation toward the law, and outline what is known about the process across three related, but distinct, contexts: family, school, and the juvenile justice system. They emphasize the degree to which individuals develop their orientations toward law upon values of responsibility and obligation, as opposed to fear of punishment. They further argue that when individuals experience authority that is fair, respectful, and aware of the limits of power, they are more likely to consent and voluntarily follow directives. Yet, strong pressures and popular support for the exercise of authority based on dominance and force persist. Given the low levels of public trust and confidence in the police, as well as the legal system in 
general, Why Children Follow Rules offers an invaluable tool for understanding how people come to understand their relationship with the law.

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

A study which aims to demonstrate that people comply with the law not so much because they fear punishment as because they feel that legal authorities are legitimate and that their actions are generally fair.

Why People Obey the Law

Yale University Press

A study which aims to demonstrate that people comply with the law not so much because they fear punishment as because they feel that legal authorities are legitimate and that their actions are generally fair.

We dedicate this book to John Thibaut. He was mentor and personal friend to one of us, and his work had a profound intellectual influence on both of us. We were both strongly influenced by Thibaut's insightful articulation of the importance to psychology of the concept of pro cedural justice and by his empirical work with Laurens Walker in reactions to legal institu demonstrating the role of procedural justice tions. The great importance we accord the Thibaut and Walker work is evident throughout this volume. If anyone person can be said to have created an entire field of inquiry, John Thibaut created the psychological study of procedural justice. (To honor Thibaut thus in no sense reduces our recognition of the contributions of his co-worker, Laurens Walker, in the creation of the field. We are as certain that Walker would endorse our statement as we are that Thibaut, with characteristic modesty, would demur from it. ) Even to praise Thibaut in this fashion falls short of recognizing all of his contributions to procedural justice. Not only did he initiate the psy chological study of the topic, he also built much of the intellectual foun dation upon which the study of procedural justice rests. Thibaut's work with Harold Kelley (1959; Kelley &amp; Thibaut, 1978) created a social psy chological theory of interdependence that, among many other applica tions, serves as the basis for one of the major models of the psychology of procedural justice.

The Social Psychology of Procedural Justice (Critical Issues in Social Justice)

Lind, E.Allan

Springer

People obey the law if they believe it's legitimate, not because they fear punishment--this is the startling conclusion of Tom Tyler's classic study. Tyler suggests that lawmakers and law enforcers would do much better to make legal systems worthy of respect than to try to instill fear of punishment. He finds that people obey law primarily because they believe in respecting legitimate authority. In his fascinating new afterword, Tyler brings his book up to date by reporting on new research into the relative importance of legal legitimacy and deterrence, and reflects on changes in his own thinking since his book was first published.

Social Sciences

Princeton University Press

Any organization's success depends upon the voluntary cooperation of its members. But what motivates people to cooperate? In Why People Cooperate, Tom Tyler challenges the decades-old notion that individuals within groups are primarily motivated by their self-interest. Instead, he demonstrates that human behaviors are influenced by shared attitudes, values, and identities that reflect social connections rather than material interests.
 Tyler examines employee cooperation in work organizations, resident cooperation with legal authorities responsible for social order in neighborhoods, and citizen cooperation with governmental authorities in political communities. He demonstrates that the main factors for achieving cooperation are socially driven, rather than instrumentally based on incentives or sanctions. Because of this, social motivations are critical when authorities attempt to secure voluntary cooperation from group members. Tyler also explains that two related aspects of group practices--the use of fair procedures when exercising authority and the belief by group members that authorities are benevolent and sincere--are crucial to the development of the attitudes, values, and identities that underlie cooperation.
 With widespread implications for the management of organizations, community regulation, and governance, Why People Cooperate illustrates the vital role that voluntary cooperation plays in the long-standing viability of groups.

Why People Cooperate: The Role of Social Motivations

Any organization's success depends upon the voluntary cooperation of its members. But what motivates people to cooperate? In Why People Cooperate, Tom Tyler challenges the decades-old notion that individuals within groups are primarily motivated by their self-interest. Instead, he demonstrates that human behaviors are influenced by shared attitudes, values, and identities that reflect social connections rather than material interests.
 Tyler examines employee cooperation in work organizations, resident cooperation with legal authorities responsible for social order in neighborhoods, and citizen cooperation with governmental authorities in political communities. He demonstrates that the main factors for achieving cooperation are socially driven, rather than instrumentally based on incentives or sanctions. Because of this, social motivations are critical when authorities attempt to secure voluntary cooperation from group members. Tyler also explains that two related aspects of group practices--the use of fair procedures when exercising authority and the belief by group members that authorities are benevolent and sincere--are crucial to the development of the attitudes, values, and identities that underlie cooperation.
 With widespread implications for the management of organizations, community regulation, and governance, Why People Cooperate illustrates the vital role that voluntary cooperation plays in the long-standing viability of groups.

Self-Help

Success

Public opinion polls suggest that American's trust in the police and courts is declining. The same polls also reveal a disturbing racial divide, with minorities expressing greater levels of distrust than whites. Practices such as racial profiling, zero-tolerance and three-strikes laws, the use of excessive force, and harsh punishments for minor drug crimes all contribute to perceptions of injustice. In Trust in the Law, psychologists Tom R. Tyler and Yuen J. Huo present a compelling argument that effective law enforcement requires the active engagement and participation of the communities it serves, and argue for a cooperative approach to law enforcement that appeals to people's sense of fair play, even if the outcomes are not always those with which they agree. Based on a wide-ranging survey of citizens who had recent contact with the police or courts in Oakland and Los Angeles, Trust in the Law examines the sources of people's favorable and unfavorable reactions to their encounters with legal authorities. Tyler and Huo address the issue from a variety of angles: the psychology of decision acceptance, the importance of individual personal experiences, and the role of ethnic group identification. They find that people react primarily to whether or not they are treated with dignity and respect, and the degree to which they feel they have been treated fairly helps to shape their acceptance of the legal process. Their findings show significantly less willingness on the part of minority group members who feel they have been treated unfairly to trust the motives to subsequent legal decisions of law enforcement authorities. Since most people in the study generalize from their personal experiences with individual police officers and judges, Tyler and Huo suggest that gaining maximum cooperation and consent of the public depends upon fair and transparent decision-making and treatment on the part of law enforcement officers. Tyler and Huo conclude that the best way to encourage compliance with the law is for legal authorities to implement programs that foster a sense of personal involvement and responsibility. For example, community policing programs, in which the local population is actively engaged in monitoring its own neighborhood, have been shown to be an effective tool in improving police-community relationships. Cooperation between legal authorities and community members is a much discussed but often elusive goal. Trust in the Law shows that legal authorities can behave in ways that encourage the voluntary acceptance of their directives, while also building trust and confidence in the overall legitimacy of the police and courts. A Volume in the Russell Sage Foundation Series on Trust

Trust in the Law: Encouraging Public Cooperation with the Police and Courts (Russell Sage Foundation Series on Trust)

Huo, Yuen J.

Russell Sage Foundation

We dedicate this book to John Thibaut. He was mentor and personal friend to one of us, and his work had a profound intellectual influence on both of us. We were both strongly influenced by Thibaut's insightful articulation of the importance to psychology of the concept of pro cedural justice and by his empirical work with Laurens Walker in reactions to legal institu demonstrating the role of procedural justice tions. The great importance we accord the Thibaut and Walker work is evident throughout this volume. If anyone person can be said to have created an entire field of inquiry, John Thibaut created the psychological study of procedural justice. (To honor Thibaut thus in no sense reduces our recognition of the contributions of his co-worker, Laurens Walker, in the creation of the field. We are as certain that Walker would endorse our statement as we are that Thibaut, with characteristic modesty, would demur from it. ) Even to praise Thibaut in this fashion falls short of recognizing all of his contributions to procedural justice. Not only did he initiate the psy chological study of the topic, he also built much of the intellectual foun dation upon which the study of procedural justice rests. Thibaut's work with Harold Kelley (1959; Kelley & Thibaut, 1978) created a social psy chological theory of interdependence that, among many other applica tions, serves as the basis for one of the major models of the psychology of procedural justice.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Tyler, Tom R.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Tyler, Tom R.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Tyler, Tom R.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Why Children Follow Rules: Legal Socialization and the Development of Legitimacy

Why Children Follow Rules: Legal Socialization and the Development of Legitimacy

Why People Obey the Law

Why People Obey the Law

The Social Psychology of Procedural Justice (Critical Issues in Social Justice)

Why People Obey the Law

Why People Cooperate: The Role of Social Motivations

Why People Cooperate: The Role of Social Motivations

Trust in the Law: Encouraging Public Cooperation with the Police and Courts (Russell Sage Foundation Series on Trust)

The Social Psychology of Procedural Justice (Critical Issues in Social Justice)