Proponents of a “criminal career” perspective argue that there are different dimensions of criminal activity-participation, frequency, seriousness, and duration-and that explanation of these dimensions may require separate explanatory models. Others maintain that different dimensions of criminal activity are realizations of a single underlying propensity toward delinquent or criminal behavior and that a general theory of criminal propensity is sufficient to explain variation in participation, frequency, and persistence of criminal activity. The article discusses theoretical and analytic issues in this debate and presents an exploratory empirical analysis on whether similar or different factors are related to participation in, frequency of, and persistence in delinquency.
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