FP - Psychological explanations of offending behaviour: Differential association Flashcards
What type of explanation is differential association?
Psychological explanation
Differential association theory
An explanation of offending behaviour in terms of learning theory, how interactions with other lead to the formation of attitudes about crime (which may be more or less favourable), as well as acquiring specific knowledge about how to commit crimes.
Who proposed differential association theory?
Edwin Sutherland (1939)
What does differential association theory suggest?
Offending behaviour can be explained entirely in terms of social learning.
What is differential association theory regarded as?
A sociological theory.
Why is differential association theory regarded as a sociological theory?
Because it suggests that people are socialised into a life of crime.
What is the concept of ‘differential association’?
People vary in the frequency with which they associate with others who have more or less favourable attitudes towards crime, and these attitudes influence their own attitudes and behaviour.
What did Sutherland believe?
It might be possible to develop a mathematical formula which would predict whether or not someone would turn to crime based on the frequency, duration and intensity of their social contacts.
What do children learn in terms of their attitudes towards crime?
Whether it is desirable or undesirable.
In terms of differential association theory who is a potential criminal?
Someone who has learned pro-criminal attitudes from those around them.
What will children learn about crime besides their attitudes towards it?
Will learn which particular types of crimes are acceptable within their community and also desirable (i.e worth doing).
May also learn about specific methods for committing crimes. Some techniques are quite complicated, whereas others are simple.
Who do children learn attitudes and behaviours from?
Intimate personal groups, such as family and/or peer groups.
The wider neighbourhood.
How does the wider community lead to children learning attitudes and behaviours about/to crime?
The degree to which the local community supports or opposes criminal involvement (differential social organisation) determines the differences in crime rates from one area to another.
What is differential social organisation?
The degree to which the local community supports or opposes criminal involvement.
Do a child’s social groups need to be criminals for them to learn their attitudes and behaviours towards crime?
No, they may not be criminals themselves, but they may still hold deviant attitudes or an acceptance of such attitudes.