| What does the differential association theory propose? | Individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques, and motivations for criminal behaviour through association and interaction with different people (hence, differential association) |
| What did Sutherland suggest? | Criminal behaviour was acquired in the same way as other behaviour thorugh the process of learnign. Occurs through interactions with significant others that a child associates with, particularly family and peer groups. |
| What did Sutherland say were the 2 main factors? | Pro-criminal attitudes
Learning criminal acts |
| What did Sutherland suggest about pro-criminal attitudes? | -Socialise with others, esposed to thier values and attitudes of the law
-Majority of these are negative and more-criminal than the more likley the individual will offend
-Suggests that ti should be possible to mathematically predict how likely it is that an individual will commit crimes, based on the frequency/intensity/duration of our exposure to deviant norms and values |
| What did Sutherland suggest about learning criminal acts? | -Criminals would need to learn particular techniques for committing crimes, such as disabling alamrs
-Inside prison, inmates can learn techniques from other, more experienced criminlas - can happen through direct insturction or observational learning/imitation
-Accounts for why so many convict released from prison go onto reoffend |
| What does Sutherland's theory say about class? | Theory is not exclusive to people who are deprived or undeducated, middle-class people can be exposed to behaviours such as tax or insurance fraud or stealing (white-collar crimes) |
| A strength of the differential association theory? | -Accounts for crime in all sectors of society
-Sutherland states that burglary would be more common in working-class communites, but also acknowelges the prevalance of white-collar crime in more affluent areas, too
-Also move away from previous biological ideals like Lombroso atavistic form which could have dangerous implications and fuel eugenics arguments.
-Instead of eugenics philosophy, the solution to Sutherland's ideas is more ethially soudnd like supporting working class areas with access to resources. |
| A strength of differential association theory? | -Supporting research from Farrington
-Longitudinal study of ofeedning and antisocial behavviour in 411 males from the ages of 8-50 in a working-class deprived area in south London which looked at recorded convictions and self-reported offending
-Found that 41% were convicted at least once between the ages of 10-50 and made 'risk factors' of childhood in the ages of 8-10 which could cause later offending. This included: family ciminality, daring or risk-taking, low school attainment, poverty, and poor parenting
-Therefore, Sutherland's ideas have empirical evidence and external validity |
| A weakness about Suntherland's theory? | -Can lead to negative stereotyping due to the theory looking more at the nururde side of the debate
-States people who grew up in improverished areas are more likely to commit crimes, this could lead to negative and prejudice stereotypes about people within this area
-This has ethical implications which are dangerous as it could lead to fewer job opportunities and class discimination for people who live in these areas.
-Form of environmentla determinism and ignores the role of free will which could allow for people to not be involved within crime even if they live in these impoverished areas. |
