Criminology professor's new book examines authority by looking at why kids follow rules

A new book co-authored by criminology professor Rick Trinkner sheds light on how the use of authority by parents, teachers and law enforcement affects how kids respond later on in life. Why Children Follow Rules: Legal Socialization and the Development of Legitimacy examines decades of research to see what works and what doesn't when dealing with kids. Trinkner, a psychologist by training, co-wrote the book with noted Yale psychologist and law professor Tom Tyler, considered the world's foremost authority on the social psychology of law.

"It's probably been 40 years since somebody has really taken a look at what the literature says about how kids kind of develop their understanding of the law and their expectations about legal authority," said Trinkner, an assistant professor in the ASU School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. "So we wanted to look at that and then we just kind of happened right when we started to do this you had Ferguson hitting you."

Trinkner says people obey laws not because they are fearful of what will happen if they don't, but because they have been taught it is the right thing to do.  He points out the role schools play as a socializing force suggesting it serves as a blueprint for how individuals are going to think about and interact with the criminal justice system.

"Teachers that treat people with respect and dignity while still enforcing standards of behavior," Trinkner said. "You know mutual engagement talking back and forth with their students their students again are more likely to respond to their authority. They're more likely to see them as a legitimate authority figure and kind of be willing and obligated to kind of follow them."

The book provides insights that can benefit parents. Trinkner says research shows the overly authoritative parent who barks orders and harshly punishes a kid is not the most effective approach.

"Within parenting, they talk about it in terms of warmth and benevolence. You know, are you treating your kids--are you showing them warmth? Are you showing them that you care about them?" said Trinkner. "That doesn't mean that by showing your children warmth, you can't you can't have standards of behavior that you expect them to follow."

Trinker says parents can establish and enforce standards for behavior, but it's more effective if parents do so in a respectful way that shows benevolence and warmth.

"The fascinating thing is in the parenting literature you see that that binds kids or bonds kids to their parents and makes them more willing to follow their parent's rules which I'm sure every single parent would like."

The same is true for law enforcement. In the book, Trinkner and Tyler explain how coercive authority, which is based on punishments and rewards, leaves police no other means than force if a person fails to follow commands. Trinkner explains that a consensual approach to authority can be more effective.

That's why from a police officer perspective, you want to approach people in a consensual way because then they're going to be more willing to obey you or follow the law," Trinkner said. "They're going to kind of feel it's like it's their obligation to follow the law rather than 'I'm just following the law because I don't want to get punished,' because the problem with that is, if I'm in a situation where I know I can't get punished, I'm not going to follow the law."