Differential association theory

• Criminal behaviour is learned and is due to nurture instead of nature, is a social learning theory of crime where individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour through association and interaction with different people. Learning occurs through interactions with significant others such as family and peer group
• If an individual experiences repeated attitudes that are positively associated with crime, rather than negatively (in terms of punishment) then they are more likely to engage in criminal behaviour
• Criminal behaviour arises from two factors: Learning pro-criminal attitudes and learning specific criminal acts
• Learning pro-criminal attitudes


  When a person socialises with a group they are exposed to the values and attitudes of the group. If the number of pro criminal attitudes a person comes to acquire outweighs the number of anti criminal attitudes they will go on to offend. Types of crime committed will heavily depend on type of nature and deviant attitudes they learned. Eg: may regard it as unacceptable to kill, but acceptable to steal
• Learning criminal acts


  The offender may learn particular techniques for committing crime. This may include how to break into someone's house through a locked window etc
• +Supporting evidence


  Farrington et al carried out a longitudinal study looking at offending behaviour in over 400 males from 8-50. Over 40% were convicted of at least one offence between 10 and 50 and the most important risk factors between 8 and 10 were poverty, poor parenting and criminality suggesting they have learnt criminal attitudes and acts from parents
• -Contradictory evidence


  Evidence from Farrington cannot establish a cause and effect and can only demonstrate a relationship between risk factors such as family offender. Whilst the theory emphasises the importance of socialisation it is important to recall that the fact that offending in family could be due to underlying factors such as genetics
• +Can account for crime within all sectors of society


  While some types such as burglarly tend to be clustered within the inner city working class, other crimes are more prevalent among more affluent groups in society. White collar or corporate crimes may be the result of middleclass groups sharing deviant norms and values
• -Not everyone who is exposed to criminal influences goes on to commit crime

  There is a danger within differential association theory of stereotyping people who come from impoverished . crime ridden backgrounds as "criminal" which suggests that exposure to pro criminal values produces offending anf ignores the fact that people may choose not to offend despite the influences