Psychological explanation- differential association theory

• Who is the main researcher?

  Sutherland
• What does the theory propose?

  Individuals learn the values, attitudes ans techniques ans motibes for criminla behaviour through associatiok and interactions with different peoples (dofferentinal association)
• What is Sutherland a scientific principle?

  Conditions which are said to cause crime should be present when crime is present and they should be be absent when crime is absent
• What does his theory try and do?

  Designed to discriminate between individuals who become criminals and those who do not, whatever thier social and ethic background
• How is crime a learned behaviour?

  Offending behaviour may be acquired in the same way as any other behaviour through the process of learning

  -this learning occurs mostly through interactions with significant others that the child associates with such as family or peer groups

  (Explained through the slt which explains the process of learning to become an offender)
• What are the 2 factors criminality arises from?

  1) learned attitudes towards crime

  2) learning specific acts
• What is learning attitudes towards crime?

  -when someone is socialised into a group they will be exposed to values and attitudes towards the law

  - Sutherland argues if the number of pro crime attitudes thr persons comes to acquire out weigh thr number of anti crime attitude they will go to offend

  -Sutherland argues we can mathematically predict how likely they are to commit if we have the knowledge of the frequency, intensity and duration of which they have been exposed to deviant and non deviant norms
• What is learning criminal acts

  -offenders may also learn particular techniques for committing crime

  -e.g hoe to break in to someone house

  -Sutherland also accounts for why so many convicts realised from prison go on to reoffend

  -whilst in prison inmates will learn specific techniques of offending from other more experienced criminals

  -this learning mag occur through observational learning and imitation it direct tutuion from criminal peers
• E-Strength-Explanatory power


  -explanatory power

  -accounts for come within all sectors of society

  -whilst burgarly is common in wc

  -he also accounted for white collar crime( he coined himself)

  -the feature of mc social groups who share deviant norms and values
• E-Strength-shift of focus


  -shift of focus

  -successful from moving from biological accounts of crime such as lombrosso atavistic form as well as those explained offending as being procduct of immortality

  -draws attention to thag fact of dysfunctional social circumstances and environments play a key role rather than dysfunctional individuals

  -offers more realistic solution to the problem of crime instead of eugenics (biological solution)
• E-Limitaion-biological reductionist


  -biological reductionist

  -diarrhoea stress model may offer a better account by combining social with vulnerability factors

  -partrial explanation

  -decreased its validity
• E-Limitation-Individual differences


  -individual differences

  -not everyone who is exposed to crime goes on to commit crime

  -stereotyping individuals who come from impoverished cork ridden backgrounds as unavoidably criminal

  Ignores people free will to choose