Psychological explanations:Differential association theory -A-Level Psychology
Differential association theory:
-suggests that individuals learn the values,attitudes and techniques and motives for criminal behaviour through association and interaction with different people.
Scientific basis:Edwin Sutherland developed a set of scientific principles that could explain all types of offending-the conditions which are said to cause crime should be present when crime is present and they should be absent when crime is absent.His theory was designed to discriminate between individuals who become criminals and those who do not,whatever their race,class or ethnic background.
Crime as a learned behaviour:Offending behaviour may be acquired in the same way as any other behaviour through the processes of learning which occurs through interactions with significant others that the child associates with such as the family or peer group.Criminality arises from 2 factors:learned attitudes towards crime,and the learning of specific criminal acts.
Pro-criminal attitudes:When a person socialises with a group they are exposed to their values and attitudes towards the law e.g pro-crime,anti-crime.Sutherland argued that if the number of pro-criminal attitudes the person comes to acquire outweighs the number of anti-criminal attitudes,they will go on to offend.The learning process is the same whether a person is learning criminality or conformity to the law.Differential association suggests that it should be possible to mathematically predict how likely it is that an individual will commit a crime if there is knowledge of the frequency,intensity and duration of which they have been exposed to deviant and non-deviant norms and values.
Learning criminal acts:In addition to pro-criminal attitudes ,the would-be offender may also learn particular techniques for committing crime.Sutherland’s theory offers an account of how crime may ‘breed’ amongst specific social groups and in communities as well as why many convicts released from prison go on to reoffend.Learning of specific techniques from prison inmates may occur through observational learning and imitation or direct tuition from criminal peers
Evaluation:
Explanatory power.This theory has the ability to account for crime within all sectors of society.Whilst Sutherland recognised that some crimes like burglary may be prevalent in certain inner-city,working class communities,it is also the case that some crimes are more prevalent amongst more affluent groups in society.Sutherland was interested in ‘white-collar’ or corporate crime and how this may be a feature of middle class social groups who share deviant norms and values.
Individual differences-Not everyone who is exposed to criminal influences goes on to commit crime.Sutherland specified how crime should be considered on an individual case by case basis as there is danger within differential association theory of stereotyping individuals from impoverished,crime-ridden backgrounds as ‘unavoidably criminal.This theory emulates that exposure to pro-criminal values is sufficient to produce offending in those who are exposed and ignores the fact that people may choose to offend despite such influences.
Differential association theory is a social learning theory that suggests that criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others, particularly within close-knit groups such as families and peers. This theory emphasizes the role of socialization in shaping an individual’s attitudes and values towards crime.
The differential association theory was developed by Edwin Sutherland, a sociologist and criminologist, in the early 20th century.
According to the differential association theory, criminal behavior is learned through a process of social interaction. Individuals learn attitudes, values, and techniques related to crime through their interactions with others, particularly within close-knit groups. The theory emphasizes that the frequency, duration, intensity, and priority of these interactions shape the individual’s attitudes towards criminal behavior.
The key principles of differential association theory include:
Criminal behavior is learned through social interaction.
Learning occurs within intimate personal groups.
Learning includes techniques, attitudes, and values favorable to crime.
Learning is a result of the frequency, duration, intensity, and priority of the interactions.
The process of learning criminal behavior involves both verbal and nonverbal communication.
Differential association theory is a key topic in A-Level Psychology as it offers a social learning explanation for criminal behavior. It is relevant to many areas of psychology, including social psychology, criminology, and forensic psychology.
Some criticisms of differential association theory include:
The theory does not account for the biological or genetic factors that may contribute to criminal behavior.
It places too much emphasis on the role of socialization and ignores other factors such as individual choice and free will.
It does not explain why some individuals who are exposed to criminal behavior do not become criminals themselves.
Differential association theory can be applied in various real-life scenarios, such as understanding the causes of delinquent behavior in youth, designing effective interventions for individuals who have been involved in criminal activities, and developing strategies to prevent crime by targeting high-risk groups.
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