Theories of victimization, such as victim precipitation theory and routine activities/lifestyle theory, examine the victim’s role in facilitating or precipitating his or her victimization. Compare and contrast these two theoretical positions and point out where they overlap.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Victim precipitation theory applies only to violent victimization. Its basic premise is that by acting in certain provocative ways, some individuals initiate a chain of events that lead to their victimization. Most murders of spouses and boyfriends by women, for example, are victim precipitated in that the “perpetrator” is defending herself from the “victim”.

Routine activities theory was originally formulated to explain criminal behavior (it will be further explained in Section 4), but it can be fruitfully applied to victims also. The theory stresses that criminal behavior takes place via the interaction of three variables that reflect individuals’ everyday routine activities: (1) the presence of motivated offenders, (2) the availability of suitable targets, and (3) the absence of capable guardians. The basic idea of lifestyle theory is that there are certain lifestyles (routine activities) that disproportionately expose some people to high risk of victimization. “Lifestyles” are the routine patterned activities that people engage in on a daily basis, both obligatory (e.g., work-related) and optional (e.g., recreational). A high-risk lifestyle may include getting involved with deviant peer groups or drugs, just “hanging out,” or frequenting bars until late into the night and drinking heavily.