I Still Suck at Everything: The Generality of Failure and Future Arrest

Abstract

The generality of failure theory links arrest–a “failure” at crime–to other failures later on in life such as getting a sexually transmitted disease or losing a job. Yet, this theoretical orientation also suggests the opposite may be true. Early life failures such as failing a class in school and becoming an underage parent may be a marker of an individual likely to fail at crime later in life. We test this theory using eleven waves of data from the Pathways to Desistance survey. Findings demonstrate that both personal failures (e.g., becoming an underage parent, failing a class) and public failures (e.g., being fired from a job, suspended from school) early in life are significantly associated with failing at crime later in life. Results persist even after accounting for a wide range of potential confounding factors such as criminal offending, illicit substance use, IQ, and self-control. Findings highlight the utility of the generality of failure theory in understanding deviant behavior.