8. psychological explanations: differential association theory Flashcards
what does differential association theory propose
Proposes that individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for offending behaviour through association and interaction with different people.
what does differential assoication suggest?
Offending behaviour may be acquired in the same way as any other behaviour through the process of learning.
This learning occurs most often through interactions with significant others who the child values most and spends most time with such as the family and peer groups.
Differential association suggests that it should be possible to mathematically predict how likely it is that an individual will commit offences. To do this we need to know the
frequency, intensity, and duration of exposure to deviant and non-deviant norms and values.
explain learning attitudes and learning techniques
Offending arises from two factors:
1. LEARNING ATTITUDES: when a person is socialised into a group they will be exposed to values and attitudes towards the law. Some of these will be pro-crime, and some will be anti-crime. Sutherland argues that if the number of pro criminal attitudes the person comes to acquire outweighs the number of the anti-criminal attitudes, they will go on to offend.
2. LEARNING TECHNIQUES: the would-be offender may learn techniques for committing offences, e.g. how to break into someone’s house through a locked window.
explain socialisation in prison
Sutherland’s theory also accounts for why so many convicts released from prison go on to reoffend. It is also reasonable to assume that whilst inside prison, inmates will learn specific techniques of offending from other, more experienced offenders that they may put into practice after their release. This learning may occur through observational learning and imitation or direct tuition from offending peers.
AO3: give a strength of differential association
SHIFT OF FOCUS - biological to social
Differential association theory changed the focus of offending explanations.
Sutherland was successful in moving the emphasis away from biological accounts of offending such as the atavistic theory as well as from theories that explained offending as the product of immorality. Differential association theory draws attention to the fact that deviant social circumstances and environments may be more to blame for offending than deviant people.
This is a strength as this approach offers a more realistic solution to the problem of offending instead of eugenics or punishment.
AO3: give a strength of differential association
WIDE REACH - white collar crime
The theory can account for offending within all sections of society.
Whilst Sutherland recognised that some types of offence, such as burglary, may be clustered within certain inner-city, working-class communities, it is also the case that some offences are clustered amongst more affluent groups in society. He was particularly interested in ‘white collar’ corporate crimes and how this may be a feature of middle-class social groups who share deviant norms and values.
This shows that it is not just the lower classes who commit offences and that the principles of differential association can be used to explain all offences.
AO3: give a limitation of differential association
DIFFICULTY TESTING
t is difficult to test the predictions of differential association.
Sutherland aimed to provide a scientific mathematical framework within which future offending behaviour could be predicted, meaning predictions must be testable. The problem is that the concepts are not testable because they cannot be operationalised. For example, it is hard to see the number of pro-crime attitudes a person has or has been exposed to can’t be measured. Without being able to measure these, we cannot know at what point the urge is to offend is realised and the offending career triggered.
This means that the theory does not have scientific credibility.
