Psychological Explanation: Differential Association Theory

Question 1

what was the aim of the theory?

Answer 1

• sutherland (24)
• create scientific principle to suit all offending
• divided offenders and normal people

Question 2

what is learned behaviour?

Answer 2

• offending squired through learning

- interactions with family and peers - leads to learned attitudes and specific criminal acts`

Question 3

what are pro criminal attitudes?

Answer 3

• exposure to attitudes of the peer group
• when pro criminal attitudes outweigh anti criminal attitudes
  (possible to predict likelihood of offending)

Question 4

how are criminals acts learned?

Answer 4

• learn specific techniques like lock picking from criminal peer group
• explains reoffending from prison as they learn techniques and attitudes from other prisoners

Question 5

+ explanatory power of the theory

Answer 5

acknowledges all criminals like working class burglary and white collar corporate crime (good generalise)

Question 6

+ shift of focus

Answer 6

• move away from biological belief that criminality caused by individual weakness
• says its actually caused by dysfunctional environment and society

(provides more realistic solution than punishment or eugenics)

Question 7

• difficulty testing

Answer 7

• has scientific framework

- hard to measure pro and anti-criminal attitudes - hard to locate point that this causes criminality