Sutherland's differential association Flashcards
What is the main premise of Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory?
Criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others, particularly within intimate groups, and is influenced by the values, attitudes, and techniques that individuals are exposed to.
What type of explanation does Differential Association provide?
A sociological explanation for criminal behavior, focusing on environmental and social influences rather than biological factors.
What are the nine key principles of Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory?
Criminal behavior is learned.
It is learned through interaction with others.
Learning occurs within intimate personal groups.
It involves learning techniques, motives, rationalizations, and attitudes.
A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to law violation over definitions unfavorable to it.
Differential associations vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity.
The process of learning criminal behavior involves the same mechanisms as any other learning.
It does not require special motives; it can result from general needs and values.
Both pro-criminal and anti-criminal associations influence behavior.
What is the “frequency, duration, priority, and intensity” principle?
These factors determine how influential an association is:
Frequency: How often the association occurs.
Duration: How long it lasts.
Priority: How early in life the association occurs.
Intensity: The emotional strength of the association.
What do individuals learn through differential association?
Techniques for committing crimes and the attitudes or rationalizations that justify criminal behavior.
How does Sutherland explain the variation in criminal behavior?
The variation depends on the balance of exposure to pro-criminal versus anti-criminal attitudes.
What research supports the role of differential association in criminal behavior?
Osborn and West (1979): Found that sons of criminal fathers were more likely to have criminal records compared to those of non-criminal fathers.
Akers et al. (1979): Found that exposure to deviant peers strongly predicted substance abuse in adolescents, consistent with the principles of learning through association.
How does Sutherland’s theory explain white-collar crime?
It suggests that criminal behavior in professional settings is learned through exposure to norms and values that favor law-breaking, showing that crime is not limited to lower socioeconomic groups.
What are the main criticisms of Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory?
It is difficult to empirically measure the “frequency, duration, priority, and intensity” of associations.
The theory may oversimplify complex behaviors by attributing them solely to social learning.
It does not explain why some individuals exposed to criminal influences resist engaging in crime.
Lacks focus on biological or psychological predispositions to crime.
What research challenges the theory?
Hirschi (1969): Social Bond Theory emphasizes bonds to society rather than associations, suggesting strong bonds prevent crime regardless of exposure to criminal values.
Mednick et al. (1984): Found evidence for genetic influences on criminality, which Differential Association does not account for.
What are the strengths of Differential Association Theory?
Emphasizes the role of social environment, moving away from biological determinism.
Explains both individual and group crimes, including white-collar crime.
Offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how deviance is learned.
How does Differential Association address cultural and social factors in crime?
It highlights how cultural norms and social interactions shape behavior, emphasizing that crime arises from learned behaviors rather than inherent traits.
How can Sutherland’s theory be applied to crime prevention?
Programs can focus on reducing exposure to pro-criminal attitudes, increasing exposure to anti-criminal influences, and fostering positive peer associations.
How does the theory apply to gang membership?
Gang members often learn criminal behavior, techniques, and justifications through close-knit associations within the group.
Why is it difficult to test Differential Association empirically?
Measuring the “balance” of pro-criminal and anti-criminal definitions in a person’s life is subjective and hard to quantify.
