Differential association theory

• Who proposed this and what does it say ?

  Sutherland

  • offending behaviour can be explained through social learning with criminals being socialised into crime
  • individuals learn the values attitudes and techniques through association and interaction with others who have favourable attitudes to crime
• What are the first 3 steps of DAT?

  1. Behaviour is learnt not inherited
  2. learned through association with others
  3. with intimate personal groups
• What are steps 4-6 ?

  4. Learn techniques and attitudes/motives

  5. learning is directional - for or against crime

  6. if more people for than againt then they become an offender
• What are steps 7-9?

  7. Learning experiences vary in frequency and intensity for each individual

  8. learnt through the same process as any other behaviour

  9. general need is not a sufficient explanation for crime because not everyone with those needs turns to crime e.g money
• What did sutherland propose that criminals develops due to ?

  1. Learning attitudes towards crime
  2. learning specific techniques and acts
• Learning crime ?


  If number of pro criminal attitudes a person squires outweighs the number of anti then they will offend

  • it is possible to create a mathematical formula to predict crime
  • frequency + duration of exposure to criminal acts and values + intensity of exposure = high value of pro criminal attitudes
• Learning crime ?


  Exposure means we observe + imitate techniques to commit crime and learn how to avoid punishment

  • individuals can learn through vicarious reinforcement - have a role model in the community
  • explains why specific crimes breed in certain social groups and communities
• Evaluation ?

  1. Osborn and west
  2. Farrington
  3. steryotypes
• Osborn + west 


  Found when fathers had a criminal back ground

  • 40% of sons had committed a crime by 18
  • compared to 13% of sons with no criminal father

  - hard to seperate genetics
• Farrington ?


  Longitudinal study 411 males

  • begun when children were 8. Working class, deprived, inner city
  • followed their careers until 50
  • looked at any convictions
  • 41% convicted at least 1 time
  • biggest factor was family criminality, low school attainment and poor parenting
• Stereotypes ?

  • people come from disadvantaged crime ridden back grounds
  • suggests pro criminal values will lead to offending
  • ignores cognition