Displacement Theory

Displacement theory is a label applied to several explanatory approaches that examine how behaviors, problems, conflicts, or populations are shifted from one place, target, or form to another rather than being eliminated. In criminology, displacement refers to the claim that preventive measures may move crime to other locations, times, targets, methods, or offenders, an idea debated by Ronald Clarke, Derek Cornish, and Rene Reppetto, while research by David Weisburd and colleagues found that displacement is often limited and that diffusion of benefits can also occur. Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson’s routine activity theory provides the background for understanding how offenders respond to changing opportunities. In psychology, Sigmund Freud described displacement as a defense mechanism in which feelings are redirected onto a safer target, and John Dollard’s frustration-aggression hypothesis offered a related account of scapegoating, later applied to prejudice by Gordon Allport. In social science, Ruth Glass and Neil Smith examined residential displacement through gentrification, and Stanley Cohen’s work on moral panics shows how social anxieties are displaced onto folk devils. Critics note that the term is used loosely across fields. Displacement theory remains relevant to research on crime prevention, prejudice, urban change, and social control.