Why People Obey the Law

Tom R. Tyler

Published by Princeton University Press 2006

Why People Obey the Law

Tom R. Tyler

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400828609

Overview
Contents

About this book

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.

Author information

Tom R. Tyler is University Professor at New York University, teaching in the Psychology Department and the Law School. He studies the exercise of authority in groups, organizations, and societies. His many books include The Social Psychology of Procedural Justice, Social Justice in a Diverse Society, Cooperation in Groups, and Trust in the Law.

Reviews

"Praise for the original edition: "[T]he argument and findings of Why People Obey the Law have important implications for the debate about the way in which people subject to legal procedures should be treated. . . . [T]he study is provocative and raises an issue of real importance.""---Roger Hood, Times Literary Supplement

"Tyler's book posits an alternative model of legal compliance--one that focuses upon ways of obtaining public consent for and cooperation with particular regulatory regimes.... Though written from the perspective of the discipline of social psychology, there are lessons here for everybody involved or interested in legal regulation, governance or, indeed, community relations."---Andrew Goldsmith, Law Society Journal

"Praise for the original edition: "Tyler's book is interesting, significant, and clearly written. Most important, it contributes to an urgent need for critical consideration of . . . an ideology whose main results have been the current shameful state of the American penal system.""---Dario Melossi, Contemporary Sociology

"Praise for the original edition: "[A] major contribution by a well-known, well-respected scholar in the field.""---Austin Sarat, Law & Society Review

"Praise for the original edition: "Theoretically and empirically, Tyler makes a powerful case. . . . The data set is unusually rich.""---V. Lee Hamilton, Michigan Law Review

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Part One: Introduction
1. Procedural Justice, Legitimacy, and Compliance Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
2. Design of the Chicago Study Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	8
Part Two: Legitimacy and Compliance
3. Legitimacy as a Theoretical Issue Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	19
4. Measuring Legitimacy and Compliance Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	40
5. Does Legitimacy Contribute Independently to Compliance? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
Part Three: Citizens' Concerns When Dealing with Legal Authorities
6. What Do People Want from Legal Authorities? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
7. Measuring the Psychological Variables Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	85
8. Does Experience Influence Legitimacy? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	94
Part Four: The Meaning of Procedural Justice
9. The Psychology of Procedural Justice Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	115
10. The Influence of Control on the Meaning of Procedural Justice Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
11. Beyond Control Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
Part Five: Conclusions
12. The Antecedents of Compliant Behavior Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
13. The Psychology of Legitimacy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	170
Appendix A: Questionnaire Used in First Wave of Chicago Study Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	179
Appendix B: Coefficient Alphas for Scales Used in the Analysis Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	220
Appendix C: Frequency Data Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	221
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	231
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	253
Afterword Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	269
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	295