FP- Differential Association Theory

Question 1

What does the differential association theory propose?

Answer 1

• This explanation of offending proposes that offending depends on the norms/values of the offender’s social group.
• Offending is more likely to occur where the social group values deviant behaviour.

Question 2

How can the social group be a factor in causing offending? (Sutherland)

Answer 2

• When a person is socialised into a social group they will be exposed to the group’s norms and values towards the law.
• Some groups will be pro-crime, some will be anti-crime. -Sutherland (1924) argues that if the number of pro-criminal attitudes that a person comes into contact with out-weigh the number of anti-criminal attitudes then they will become an offender.

Question 3

In which ways can learning occur from peers?

Answer 3

Learning can occur through :
- imitation
- vicarious reinforcement
- direct reinforcement 
- direct tuition 
from criminal peers

Question 4

What does differential association suggest?

Answer 4

• Differential association suggests that it should be possible to mathematically predict how likely it is that someone will commit crime, if we have knowledge of the frequency, intensity and duration of which they have been exposed to criminal and non-criminal norms and values.

Question 5

In addition to being exposed to pro-criminal attitudes, what else may the potential offender also learn?

Answer 5

• In addition to being exposed to pro-criminal attitudes, the potential offender may also learn particular techniques for committing crime.

Question 6

Evaluate the differential association theory. (Advantages)

Answer 6

1) This theory is able to account for crime within all sectors of society.
- While Sutherland (1924) recognised that some types of crime, such as burglary, may be clustered within inner-city, working class communities, it is also the case that some crimes aremost prevalent among affluent groups.
- White-collar (sometimes referred to as corporate crime) is a feature of middle-class social groups.

2) Sutherland was successful in moving the emphasis away from early biological explanations of crime (i.e. Lombroso)and those explanations which saw offending as being the product of individual weakness or immorality.
- Differential association theory draws attention to the role of dysfunctional social circumstances and environments in criminality.

3) Differential association theory offers a more desirable and realistic solution to offending behaviour than the biological solution (eugenics) or the morality solution (punishment).

Question 7

Evaluate the differential association theory. (Disadvantages)

Answer 7

1) Differential association theory is difficult to test scientifically, most of the evidence to support it is correlational (does not demonstrate cause and effect).
- How can the pro-crime attitudes a person has been exposed to be measured?
- Similarly, the theory is built on the assumption that offending behaviour will occur when pro-criminal values outnumber anti-criminal ones.
- However, without being able to measure these values, it is difficult to know at what point the urge to offend will trigger a criminal career.

2) Not everyone who is exposed to criminal influences goes on to commit crime.
- There is a danger that this theory could stereotype individuals who come from impoverished, crime-ridden backgrounds as ‘unavoidably criminal’.
- The theory ignores the fact that people might choose not to offend despite criminal influences, in other words it ignore people’s free will.
- For example, offenders may seek out people with criminal valuesrather than being passively influenced by them