Psychological Exp: Differential Associations

Question 1

Differential Association Theory

Answer 1

1) Sutherland (1924) developed a set of scientific principles that could explain all types of offending.
2) Individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for offending behaviour through interaction with other.

Question 2

Offending is Learned

Answer 2

1) Behaviour is acquired through the process of learning.
Learning occurs through interactions with significant others who the child values most and spends most time with, such as family and peer group.

Offending arises from two factors:
* Learned attitudes towards offending.
* Learning of specific offending acts.

Question 3

Learning Attitudes/ Techniques

Answer 3

1) In addition to being exposed to pro-crime attitudes, the would-be offender may also learn particular techniques for committing offences.
For example, how to break into someone’s house through a locked window or how to disable a car stereo before stealing it.

Question 4

Reoffending

Answer 4

1) Sutherland’s theory can account for why so many prisoners released from prison go on to reoffend.

2) Inside prison inmates will be exposed to pro-crime attitudes and also learn specific techniques of offending from more experienced offenders which they can put into practice upon their release.

Question 5

Strength of Theory

Answer 5

SHIFT OF FOCUS

1) Sutherland moved emphasis away from early biological explanations (e.g. Lombroso) and from theories of offending as the product of individual weakness or immorality.

2) Differential association theory draws attention to deviant social circumstances and environments as being more to blame for offending than deviant people.

–> Offers a more realistic solution to offending instead of eugenics (the biological
solution) or punishment (the morality solution).

Question 6

Strength of Theory

Answer 6

HAS WIDE REACH

1) Whilst some crimes (e.g burglary) are clustered in inner-city working-class communities, other crimes are clustered in more affluent groups.

2) Sutherland was particularly interested in ‘white-collar’ or corporate offences and how this may be a feature of middle-class groups who share deviant norms.

–> This shows that it is not just the ‘lower’ classes who commit offences and that differential association can be used to explain all offences.

Question 7

Limitation of Theory

Answer 7

DIFFICULTY TESTING PREDICTIONS

1) Sutherland promised a scientific and mathematical framework for predicting offending behaviour, but the concepts can’t be operationalised.

It is unclear how we can measure the numbers of pro- or anti-crime attitudes a person is exposed to - so how can we know at what point offending would be triggered?

–> This means the theory does not have scientific credibility.