The differential association theory, proposed by Edwin Sutherland
Edwin Sutherland
Edwin Hardin Sutherland was an American sociologist. He is considered as one of the most influential criminologists of the 20th century. He was a sociologist of the symbolic interactionist school of thought and is best known for defining white-collar crime and differential association, a …
Full Answer
What are the principles of differential association theory?
Sutherland further explained that there are 9 principles of the differential association theory: 1. Criminal behavior is learned. 2. Criminal behavior is learned from others who may be engaged in such behavior. 3. This process of learning criminal behavior occurs in small, intimate groups.
What are the principles of differential association?
The principles of Sutherland's Theory of Differential Association key points:
- Criminal behavior is learned from other individuals.
- Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication.
- The principle part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups.
What type of theory is differential association?
Uses of the association theory
- The theory is useful in explaining why people commit crimes and how social bonds prevent or encourage crime.
- The differential association theory also helps us to understand how people are likely to learn to commit crimes.
- Crime fighters use this theory to understand the factors that make people more likely to commit crimes.
What does differential association mean?
The differential association theory states that the more important the bond is, the less likely a person is to commit a crime. The emotional and social bonds between people who care for one another are the strongest, followed closely by the bonds between family members.
What are the three characteristics of differential association theory?
The three characteristics of differential association theory are: One who associates with criminals becomes a criminal. One learns criminal behav...
What is a differential association in ethics?
Ethics differential association refers to one associating with a group that has a particular set of behaviors. If one is around a group of people...
What is the concept of differential association theory?
The concept of differential association theory is that criminals are made by their environment and associates. They justify their crimes and see t...
What is an example of differential association theory?
An example of differential association theory would be if one would steal a bike from another. Their justification would be that they had two bike...
Who proposed differential association theory and when?
Sutherland proposed this theory in 1939.
What does differential association theory state?
People learn to become offenders through interactions with others (friends, peers, family members). Criminal behaviours are learned through other p...
How can the theory explain why crime is more prevalent in certain communities?
Perhaps the people are all learning from each other in some aspect, or the community’s general attitude is ‘pro-crime’.
How can the theory explain why convicts after their release from prison frequently continue offensive behaviour?
Often, in prison, they have learned how to improve their ‘technique’ through observational learning and imitation, or even through direct learning...
What were the six most significant risk factors for criminal activity at age 8–10, according to Farrington et al. (2006)?
Crime in the family Impulsivity Low IQ and low school attainment Poverty Poor parenting
What is a strength and weakness of Farrington et al. (2006) study?
The study shows support for differential association theory; however, some of the factors can also be due to genetics.
What were the findings of the Osborne and West (1979) study?
Osborne and West (1979) compared family criminal records and found that when a father had a criminal record, 40% of sons also had a criminal record...
What conclusions can be drawn from the Osborne and West (1979) study?
This finding suggests that children learn criminal behaviour from their fathers in families with a convicted father through differential associatio...
How do Akers’ (1979) findings support differential association theory?
Akers (1979) surveyed 2500 male and female adolescents. They found that differential association and reinforcement accounted for 68% of the varianc...
When was differential association theory first introduced?
Sutherland initially outlined his theory in 1939 in the third edition of his book Principles of Criminology. He then revised the theory for the fourth edition of the book in 1947. Since then, differential association theory has remained popular in the field of criminology and has sparked a great deal of research.
What is Sutherland's theory?
Sutherland’s theory doesn’t account for why an individual becomes a criminal but how it happens. He summarized the principles of differential association theory with nine propositions : All criminal behavior is learned. Criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others via a process of communication.
Why is personality theory criticized?
However, the theory has been criticized for failing to take individual differences into account. Personality traits may interact with one’s environment to create outcomes that differential association theory cannot explain. For example, people can change their environment to ensure it better suits their perspectives.
How does the media influence learning?
While the individual is most likely to be influenced by definitions provided by friends and family members, learning can also occur at school or through the media. For example, the media often romanticize criminals. If an individual favors stories of mafia kingpins, such as the TV show The Sopranos and The Godfather films, the exposure to this media may impact the individual’s learning because it includes some messages that favor breaking the law. If an individual focuses on those messages, they could contribute to an individual’s choice to engage in criminal behavior.
What is the theory of criminal behavior?
The theory posits that an individual will engage in criminal behavior when the definitions that favor violating the law exceed those that don’t. Definitions in favor of violating the law could be specific. For example, “This store is insured. If I steal these items, it’s a victimless crime.”.
How is the direction of motives and drives towards criminal behavior learned?
The direction of motives and drives towards criminal behavior is learned through the interpretation of legal codes in one’s geographical area as favorable or unfavorable.
What is the process of learning criminal behavior?
The process of learning criminal behavior may include learning about techniques to carry out the behavior as well as the motives and rationalizations that would justify criminal activity and the attitudes necessary to orient an individual towards such activity.
What is differential association theory?
Sutherland's Differential Association Theory Explained 1 The differential association explanation of offending suggests that through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motivation for criminal behavior. 2 We often hear the phrase “Got in with a bad crowd”; our friendship groups can profoundly affect criminality especially during adolescence. 3 Differential associations (number of contacts with criminals over non-criminals) may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity. 4 The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-criminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning. (behaviorism: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning theory). 5 The principle part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups.
What is the process of learning criminal behavior?
The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-criminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning. (behaviorism: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning theory).
How is criminal behavior learned?
Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication. This communication is verbal in many cases but includes gestures.
Why do people become delinquent?
A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law. This is the principle of differential association. When people become criminal, they do so not only because of contacts with criminal patterns but also because of isolation from anticriminal patterns. Negatively, this means that association which are neutral so far as crime is concerned have little or no effect on the genesis of criminal behavior.
Which study supported the differential association theory of offending?
The differential association theory of offending is supported by the Cambridge Study in delinquency development by Farrington et al., 2006. This study followed 411 males who at the beginning of the study they were all living in a working-class deprived inner-city area of South London.
What are the most significant childhood risk factors at age 8–10?
The most significant childhood risk factors at age 8–10 for later offending were family criminality, daring or risk-taking, low school attainment, poverty and poor parenting.
What is the specific direction of motives and drives?
The specific direction of the motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal codes as favorable or unfavorable. This different context of situation usually is found in US where culture conflict in relation to the legal code exists.
How did Sutherland use the legal material?
Sutherland had used extensive legal material from lawsuits, indictments, and court judgments against these corporations to show how differential association led to a gradual conditioning towards white collar crime.
What is organized crime?
Organized crime is an area that other theories in criminology such as cultural deviance theory and social disorganization theory have proved inadequate to explain.
What is the act of rationalizing criminal behavior to the self?
5. The act of rationalizing criminal behavior to the self (what Sutherland termed “specific direction of motives”) first involves having an awareness of the law. It is only when individuals understand that certain acts transgress the law, that they then begin to justify such transgression to themselves. (for instance, by thinking that the act is a minor transgression or it is a victimless crime, and so on)
How many principles are there in differential association theory?
Sutherland further explained that there are 9 principles of the differential association theory:
What is differential association theory?
The differential association theory states that criminal behavior is learned when you associate with other people who indulge in criminal behavior.
Why is a person delinquent?
To quote Sutherland (1950) “A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violations of law.”
What are the two spheres of influence?
A new employee in such an organization then has two spheres of influence – the larger organizational culture which is followed by most of the employees, and which is one of being earnest, upright, ethical, and a small subculture in which a tiny coterie of influential people are engaged in minor acts of transgression of the law.
What is the deviant behavior of fighting?
Fighting is a form of deviant behavior, which develops under the influence of excessive beliefs that favor fighting. Fighting will be uncommon in societies that do not consider it as an appropriate form of behavior.
What is the theory of fighting?
Based on Sutherland’s theory, fighting is a form of deviant behavior, which young people learn via face-to-face communication with other people. Individuals choose to fight, when group beliefs that favor fighting overweigh group beliefs that do not favor violations of law.
What is the most important theory of sociology?
The list of possible explanations of deviance is endless – from genetics and social status, to television, oedipal complexes and severe mental deficiencies; yet, Edwin Sutherland’s Differential association theory remains one of the most important theoretical foundations of sociology. According to Differential association theory, individuals learn deviant behaviors through face-to-face communication with other people.
How does learning to fight work?
Through the intimate interaction with groups that favor fighting, individuals will learn techniques and rationalizations for doing so. The process of learning to fight will be similar to any other form of learning. The goals of those who fight and those who do not fight will be similar, too. What will be different is the means fighting and non-fighting individuals choose to pursue their goals (Regoli, Hewitt & DeLisi, 2010). Conclusion
What is Sutherland's theory of group influence?
Here, group influence is of critical importance: Sutherland’s theory assumes that “when groups are strongly organized against crime, they will present an abundance of definitions favorable to crime and few definitions unfavorable to crime ” (Matsueda, 2000, p. 131).
What are the criticisms of Sutherland's differential theory?
One of the biggest criticisms of Sutherland's differential theory is determinism. Sutherland does not clearly explain what would induce an individual to commit a crime. Furthermore, it does not explain the origin of spontaneous criminal behavior.
Why do people fight and not fight?
Whether individuals choose to fight or not to fight depends on the intensity and duration of messages that favor this form of deviance. Those who fight and those who do not fight usually express the same values and beliefs; the only difference is in the means they choose to pursue their goals. Differential Association Theory Crime and deviance have always been the objects of the peer sociological analysis. Dozens of theories were developed in an attempt to explain what crime is, how it develops, and what can keep people from committing a crime.
What are the assumptions of deviance?
First, they all assume the preexistence of a deviant category or definition ; second, the individual deviant is viewed by the rest of society as violating an established norm or value; and third, particular actors within society (e.g., social control agents) will react to the perceived violator by negatively sanctioning the deviant behavior. While the latter two assumptions are theoretically and empirically informed, assuming the preexistence of a deviant category is highly problematic. It pronounces ‘deviance’ as a fixed category with unchanging parameters throughout history and across different cultures.
What is the relationship between deviance and social class?
This theory suggested that deviance is common among all social classes and that the process of differential association creates a bias against those members of society with little power. Subsequent studies of white-collar crime demonstrated, for example, that becoming a price fixer involved the same basic learning and social support processes that led to becoming a burglar. What is interesting, from the power and deviance approach, is that this study raised serious questions about the political issues of definition. Why is it the case that offenses committed by higher status members of society typically are lightly sanctioned (e.g., corporate offenses often are adjudicated under civil rather than criminal law), while offenses committed by lower class individuals receive not only a harsher (criminal) sanction but in many instances a sanction vastly disproportionate to the relative harm of the offense?
What was the critique of the sociology of delinquent subcultures?
The critique of the sociology of delinquent subcultures was also indirectly critical of the general theories that underlaid this sociological trend, that is, the theory of anomie and of differential association. Such criticism caused a further split in the sociology of crime. In Matza's subsequent work, and in phenomenological and ethnomethodological research, the search for explanations was not only replaced by descriptive work but the descriptions eschewed quantitative generalizations for qualitative in-depth investigation of cases selected for their significance. Such investigations were influenced by the methods of ethnography and ethnolinguistics.
What are the implications of differential association theory?
The implications for security from differential association theory point to the importance of ethical conduct by top management, who should set a good example in the socialization of all employees. In addition, since criminal laws can be impotent, preventive security strategies are essential.
What is the strongest predictor of computer crime?
In this study, the strongest predictor of computer crime was differential association with others who presented definitions favorable to violation of the law ( Skinner and Fream, 1997: 495–518 ).
What is differential association?
Differential association provides the context in which learning occurs. According to the theory, the most important contexts for learning criminal behavior include peer groups and family units, though varying entities such as schools, neighbors, and media also provide alternative settings where some learning of criminal behavior may ensue. There are two fundamental aspects of differential association, namely the behavioral-interactional and normative dimensions. The behavioral-interactional dimension refers to the direct and indirect interactions and associations with individuals that engage in delinquent activities. The normative dimension refers to the values which one is exposed to as a result of one's associations and interactions with others. It is worth noting that the normative dimension was inherent in Sutherland's original theory; Akers' formulation of SLT keeps the normative dimension but adds the behavioral-interactional dimension to the overarching differential association construct. As differential associations set the learning context, SLT anticipates that the learning mechanisms including imitation, definitions, and differential reinforcement are in large part influenced by one's differential associations. For instance, the theory suggests that individuals with a greater proportion of their peers who engage in criminal behavior will be exposed to more delinquent models, will be subjected to a greater number of definitions favorable to delinquency, and will perceive more rewards and benefits associated with criminal conduct. In turn, these individuals will be more likely to engage in criminal behavior. In other words, the effect of differential association on criminal behavior is hypothesized to, at least in large part, be mediated by the imitation, definitions, and differential reinforcement variables.
What is the most prominent elaboration of ideas that has been linked with the cultural conflict/differential association?
The most prominent elaboration of ideas that has been linked with the cultural conflict/differential association theory is Ronald Aker's ‘social learning’ theory. Social learning theorists believe that although ‘definitions’ play a role in the learning of conventional and unconventional behavior, such definitions do not capture all ways of learning delinquency. Social learning theory does fit with the normative conflict/differential association theory in that the learning processes are normal and can involve learning of expectations that conflict with the law. Moreover, the perspective has been expanded to include both ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ issues and is now called a ‘social structure-social learning theory (SSSL).’ It has been extended to apply to variations among societies as well as variations among socially differentiated categories of people within societies (see Akers, 1998; Jensen and Akers, 2003; Akers and Jensen, 2003 ).
What are the four main concepts of learning deviant behavior?
Four main concepts: definitions, differential association, differential reinforcement, and intimidation. Definitions. statements, attitudes, and rationalizations that define a behavior as good or bad, right or wrong.
Why does learning deviant behavior occur?
3. Learning deviant behavior occurs due to primary groups reinforcement over the individual
What is the definition of a good or bad behavior?
statements, attitudes, and rationalizations that define a behavior as good or bad, right or wrong. Definitions are characterized as favorable, neutralizing (harmless), or reproachful (disapproval) of behavior. Differential association. indicates that these definitions are learned through contact with others.
What is operant conditioning?
Introduced the psychological concept of operant conditioning, which is the notion that learning is enhanced by both social and nonsocial reinforcement, to the theory. Operate condition includes positive and negative reinforcement, and positive and negative punishment (reinforcement = increase behavior) (punishment = decrease behavior)
Why is the differential association theory invalid?
Published his Differential Association Theory in his book Principles of Criminology, conventional generalization about crime and criminality are invalid because they explain only the crime of the lower class. This is one of the most long-standing and popular theory of deviance in terms of empirical evaluation, ...
What is differential association?
Differential reinforcement. refers to the balance anticipated and actual rewards and punishments that follow or are the consequences of behavior.
What are the nine propositions of differential association theory?
Edwin Sutherland's Nine Propositions of Differential Association Theory. 1. Criminal behavior is learned (it is not a biological trait that is inherited) 2.
Origins
Nine Propositions of Differential Association Theory
- Sutherland’s theory doesn’t account for why an individual becomes a criminal but how it happens. He summarized the principles of differential association theory with nine propositions: 1. All criminal behavior is learned. 2. Criminal behavior is learned through interactions with others via a process of communication. 3. Most learning about criminal behavior happens in intimate person…
Understanding The Approach
- Differential association takes a social psychological approachto explain how an individual becomes a criminal. The theory posits that an individual will engage in criminal behavior when the definitions that favor violating the law exceed those that don’t. Definitions in favor of violating the law could be specific. For example, “This store is insur...
Critiques
- Differential association theory was a game-changer in the field of criminology. However, the theory has been criticizedfor failing to take individual differences into account. Personality traits may interact with one’s environment to create outcomes that differential association theory cannot explain. For example, people can change their environment to ensure it better suits their perspe…
Sources
- Cressey, Donald R. “The Theory of Differential Association: An Introduction.” Social Problems, vol. 8, no. 1, 1960, pp. 2-6. https://doi.org/10.2307/798624
- “Differential Association Theory.” LibreTexts: Social Science, 23 May, 2019. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Sociology/Book%3A_Sociology_(Boundless)/7%3…
- “Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory Explained.” Health Research Funding. ht…
- Cressey, Donald R. “The Theory of Differential Association: An Introduction.” Social Problems, vol. 8, no. 1, 1960, pp. 2-6. https://doi.org/10.2307/798624
- “Differential Association Theory.” LibreTexts: Social Science, 23 May, 2019. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Sociology/Book%3A_Sociology_(Boundless)/7%3…
- “Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory Explained.” Health Research Funding. https://healthresearchfunding.org/edwin-sutherlands-differential-association-theory-explained/
- Matsueda, Ross L. “Sutherland, Edwin H.: Differential Association Theory and Differential Social Organization.” Encyclopedia of Criminological Theory, edited by Francis T. Cullen and Pamela Wilcox....
Nine Propositions of Differential Association Theory
- The first explicit statement of the theory of differential association appears in the 1939 edition of Principles of Criminologyand in the fourth edition of it, he presented his final theory. His theory has 9 basic postulates. 1. Criminal behavior is learned. This means that criminal behavior is not inherited, as such; also the person who is not alr...
The Cambridge Study in Delinquency Development, Farrington et al., 2006
- The differential association theory of offending is supported by the Cambridge Study in delinquency development by Farrington et al., 2006. This study followed 411 males who at the beginning of the study they were all living in a working-class deprived inner-city area of South London. This was a prospective longitudinal studyof the development of offending and antisocia…
Critical Evaluation
- This theory applies to any type of crime and to any socioeconomic background for example individuals of middle-class background are exposed to middle-class values and learn to commit middle-class c...
- This theory does not explain why criminality decreases with age, 40% of offences are committed by under 21 years old individuals. Many young offenders do not carry on offendin…
- This theory applies to any type of crime and to any socioeconomic background for example individuals of middle-class background are exposed to middle-class values and learn to commit middle-class c...
- This theory does not explain why criminality decreases with age, 40% of offences are committed by under 21 years old individuals. Many young offenders do not carry on offending in their adult life.
- The fact that criminality run in families could also be explained by the psychodynamic explanation of offending behavior whereby a child internalises a deviant superego from the same sex parent dur...
- Furthermore, it is socially sensitive as it could lead to the stereotyping of individuals who com…
Origins of The Theory
Definitions
- Here are some definitions of the differential association theory: 1. Sutherland (1950) –“Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with persons in a pattern of communication. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violations of law.” 2. Cressey (1952) –“Persons...
9 Key Principles
- Sutherland further explained that there are 9 principles of the differential association theory: 1.Criminal behavior is learned. 2.Criminal behavior is learned from others who may be engaged in such behavior. 3.This process of learning criminal behavior occurs in small, intimate groups. 4.The learning process has two key components: a) Learning the techniques of criminal behavio…
Examples of Differential Association Theory
- 1. Organized Crime Families
An example of differential association theory is the mafia: people become mafia members by growing up within its culture. Organized crime families exist in almost all parts of the world, although the Italian-American Mafia is the most commonly known due to its depiction in popular … - 2. Public Corruption
The differential association theory convincingly explains white collar crimes, while most other deviance theories such as cultural deviance and social disorganization only focus on blue collar crimes. For instance, in a public office or a large corporation there might not exist a general cultu…
Strengths of Differential Association Theory
Criticisms of Differential Association Theory
- An Overreliance on Association– A prominent criticism of the differential association theory is its assertion that criminal behavior can only be learned through association with other criminals. It...
- Intimate Association May Not Always be a Precondition– Sutherland believed that the acquisition of criminal behavior happens in small and intimate groups, and thus by implicatio…
- An Overreliance on Association– A prominent criticism of the differential association theory is its assertion that criminal behavior can only be learned through association with other criminals. It...
- Intimate Association May Not Always be a Precondition– Sutherland believed that the acquisition of criminal behavior happens in small and intimate groups, and thus by implication, less through mass...
- Assumes Lack of Agency – People can be around negative influences and still have the moral and critical reasoning to reject them.
Related Sociological Concepts
- A closely related sociological concept is interactionism. In fact, the differential association theory is an example of interactionism. Interactionism states that human behavior is a product of interactions with other humans, situations, and surroundings. A key component of interactionism is the social construction of reality, which is, the manner in which individuals justify and present t…
References
- Cressey, D.R. (1952) Application and verification of the differential association theory. Journal of criminal law and criminology. 43(1), pp.3-51. Access Here. Cressey, D.R. (1960) The theory of differential association: An introduction. Social problems 8(1), pp.2-6. Sutherland, E.H. (1950). White collar crime. New York: Dryden Press Sutherland, E.H. (1983) White collar crime. Connec…