Defining Differential Association
According to Edwin Sutherland, Differential Association Theory is "the specific causal process in the development of systematic criminal behavior". (Criminological Theories, Akers, pg.72) To a lay person, I see differential association in the terms of someone being a product of his/her environment. A person who is brought up to be a criminal, becomes a criminal. If you take a person from an upstanding neighborhood, and place said person in an area of unwanted violence and destitution, that person has a great chance of becoming delinquent themselves through their own interactions with other delinquents. Since Sutherland first announced his Differential Association Theory, studies on his theory have been tested through samples, as well as testing beyond the spectrum of other theories to explain this causation. According to Agnew, research consistently saw that a friends' delinquency is a strong predictor of the individual's delinquency, thus supporting the idea of differential association through the cause that the child's delinquent behavior came from the delinquent friend. (Agnew, 1995) However, there are many explanations for this kind of behavior that c
The independent variables were questioned on a 6-point Likert scale that ranged from strongly agree (6) to strongly disagree (1). (JRCD Vol. 37 No.2 May 2000) In the 1940s, Edwin Sutherland's theory of differential association expanded upon the learning perspective. Sutherland's model for learning in a social environment is still the most recognized within the learning perspective. The idea of culture conflict, which is the struggle between different factions in a society, specifically over who has the power to determine what is deviant, is prevalent in Sutherland's work. In performing testing of the theory through the different genders, you can also see how the different lifestyles and the way that these adult criminals have adjusted to life through what they have learned. 2) Through interactions with others, in a process of communication: including gestures and verbal general needs and values, since noncriminal behavior is an expression of the same needs and values. The theory of differential association was intended as a comprehensive explanation of criminal and some noncriminal behavior. Unlike previous theories explaining the criminality of groups, including his own theory of differential social organization, Sutherland sought to explain the criminal behavior of individual people. Such information, Sutherland believed, could then be applied to groups. By doing so, he hoped to be able to explain variations in the crime rates of groups located within the same community, a phenomenon the popular social disorganization theory had been unable to account for. 3) Learning occurs within intimate personal groups: work environment, peer networks with media These nine tenets of differential association was the first descriptive analysis of the theory. However, Sutherland received criticism because his ideas were difficult to operationalize and measure. The main reason that the concept of learning is difficult to study is that it cannot be directly observed or measured. For example, how could someone measure the intensity of associations and interactions with others? This is a question that many experts have used as the stepping stone into their hypothesis for distinguishing these two theories. In order to measure someone's feelings, this is a nominal approach, and you cannot measure feelings. Social learning theory has not had the same influence that differential association has on sociological theories, but it can be seen put into practice in prevention techniques used by the criminal justice system. (Akers, Ronald L. (1998). Social Learning and Social Structure: A General Theory of Crime and Deviance.)
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Approximate Word count = 2164
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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