Psychological explanations of offender profiling: Differential association

Question 1

Define differential association theory

Answer 1

An explanation of offending behaviour in terms of learning theory, how interactions with others 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

Question 2

Who developed the differential association theory?
In what year?

Answer 2

Sutherland (1939)

Question 3

What does differential association theory propose?

Answer 3

That individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour through association and interaction with different people (hence, differential association)

Question 4

What is Sunderland’s theory designed to do?

Answer 4

Discriminate between individuals who become criminals and those who do not, whatever their race, class or ethnic background.

Question 5

What are the 3 elements of social contacts that determine whether people turn to crime?

Answer 5

The level of frequency, duration and intensity of their social contacts.

Question 6

Explain why crime is thought to be a learnt behaviour

Answer 6

Learnt through the child upbringing and who it interacts with such as family and peers , therefore criminality is experienced through 2 factors: learnt attitudes towards crime, and the learning of specific criminal acts.
The learning can be done as they associate themselves with those around them.

Question 7

Who is crime thought to be learnt from

Answer 7

Attitudes and behaviours and learned from intimate personal groups such as family + peers.
Also wider neighbourhood.
Individuals/social groups may not be criminals themselves, but they may still hold deviant attitudes or an acceptance of such attitudes.

Question 8

How is crime learnt?

Answer 8

DIrect and indirect conditioning
A child nay be reinforced for deviant behaviours through praise, or may be punished for such behaviour by family and peers.
Role models provide opportunities to model behaviours and, if the role models are successful themselves in criminal activities, this would provide vicarious reinforcement.

Question 9

Outline Sutherland’s nine principles

Answer 9

1. Criminal behaviour is learnt.
2. Learned through association with others.
3. Association is with intimate personal groups and relationships.
4. What is learned are techniques and attitudes.
5. The learning is directional - either for or against crime.
6. If the number of favourable attitudes outweigh unfavourable ones, then a person becomes an offender.
7. The learning experiences vary in frequency and intensity for each individual,
8. Criminal behaviour is learned through the same processes as any other behaviour.
9. General ‘need’ is not sufficient explanation for crime because not everyone with those needs turns to crime.

Question 10

Outline the evaluation points for differential association

Answer 10

Major contribution to criminal behaviour
Methodological issues
The role of biological factors