psycholgical explanations: differential association theory Flashcards
differential association meaning
through intercations w others individuals learn the values, attitudes , techniques and motives for criminal behvaviour
what does sutherland state on DA?
-criminal activity is not due to biology or personality its indiscrimnate of race, class or ethnic background
how is offedending learnt
-occurs through interaction by those signficant in a childs life
e.g family or peer groups
what are the 2 factors learnt in DA?
-Attiudes towards the crime
-the criminal act itself
what is a example
-its ok to steal from a big supermarket as it is a victimless crime
-the act would be learning the techniques of shoplifitng to not get caught
what did sutherland believe ab attitudes
-if someone is socialised with more pro criminal attiudes than anti criminal attidues they belive that crime is accpetbale and go onto offend
-may also learn techniques
what real world app does this theory give
-accounts for why so many people released from prison go onto re offend
-inmates learn technqiues from experienced criminals through imitation and observation or direct teaching
strenghts of the theory
(shift of focus)
-sutherland moved from biological explnations e.g lombrosos atavistic theory and those that explain offending as being a product of individual weakness
-focuses on social circumstances
-env may be to blame
-offers more relaistic perspective to the problem of crime
(explantory power)
-account for all crime in all sectors of society
-e.g buglary in working class community
-white collar/corporate in middle class who share deviant norms and values
-explains all offences
weaknesses of theory
(counterpoint shift in focus)
-differential asscoiation theory may stereotype people from impoverished backgrounds as ‘unavoidably criminal’
-some may choose not to offend
-may be too environemntally determinsit
(difficulty of testing the theory
-many concepts cant be operationalised so its hard to test, sutherland tried to make it a scientific framework
-e.g unclear how we measure number of pro or anti criminal attitudes a person is exposed to
-hard to know at what point criminality is triggered
-doesnt provide satisfactory solution to these issues , udnermines sceitntifc credibility
(nature or nurture)
-sutherland suggested family attiudies are crucial in determining wether an individual turns to crime
-family can help support comitting crime e.g legitimate or reasonable
genetics can also infulence rather than env
hard to therefore draw conclusions from data about crime running in families.
what was farringdon et als study to support sutherlands theory
-looked into deliquent developemnent = longituidnal study on offending and anti social beh in 411 boys
-aged 8 living in deprived areas
what were farringdons findings
41% convited of at least one offence 10-50 y/o
-average convivtion career lasted from age 19 to 28 in 5 convicitons
-childhood was a risk factor at age 8-10 for offending where measures of family criminality, risk taking, low attainment and poverty
-7% of ps defined as ‘chronic offenders’ as they accounted for about half of all officially recorded offences in the study
