Edwin H. Sutherland’s differential association theory was developed in 1939. This theory is known to be a “completely sociological theory of crime” (Walsh and Hemmens 187). It drives criminologists away from the belief that criminal behavior is only biological and psychological. Sutherland’s ambition was to compose a theory that could draw out both aggregate crime rates and individual criminality by recognizing provisions that must be available for criminal intent to occur and unavailable when crime does not occur. This social process theory starts with an individual’s differences from society to the group a person associates with. When an individual engages in what they are predetermined to engage in, it demonstrates “birds of a feather flock
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The social learning theory is quite like differential association due to the fact both deal with social experiences. Differential association is more about the different groups we associate ourselves with versus an individual we learn our social skills from. This is where the social learning theory comes into play because it primarily focuses on behavior with one-on-one social interactions throughout everyday life. For example, some individual associates himself daily with gang members who also have the same social experiences as himself, such as rejection from society, suffrage of poverty, and not being well educated. These risk factors bring them together as an association and lead them to act upon criminal behavior. This is an example of the differential association theory. An example of the social learning theory would be an individual in a low-class society learning criminal behaviors from the people around him growing up such as his caretakers, siblings, and even friends from school or …show more content…
As stated before, behavior has its consequences, whether it is negative or positive. Operant psychology is used in the social learning theory, but not discussed in different association. Social learning is also more modern compared to Sutherland’s differential association theory. Unfortunately, Sutherland’s theory “is not valid in its present form because, though it is basically sound in asserting that criminal behavior is learning, it does not make use of the learning principles which are now available as a result of experimental laboratory research” (Jeffery 294). Akers’ social learning theory is clearly more modern and up to date than Sutherland’s differential association
The social learning theory is quite like differential association due to the fact both deal with social experiences. Differential association is more about the different groups we associate ourselves with versus an individual we learn our social skills from. This is where the social learning theory comes into play because it primarily focuses on behavior with one-on-one social interactions throughout everyday life. For example, some individual associates himself daily with gang members who also have the same social experiences as himself, such as rejection from society, suffrage of poverty, and not being well educated. These risk factors bring them together as an association and lead them to act upon criminal behavior. This is an example of the differential association theory. An example of the social learning theory would be an individual in a low-class society learning criminal behaviors from the people around him growing up such as his caretakers, siblings, and even friends from school or …show more content…
As stated before, behavior has its consequences, whether it is negative or positive. Operant psychology is used in the social learning theory, but not discussed in different association. Social learning is also more modern compared to Sutherland’s differential association theory. Unfortunately, Sutherland’s theory “is not valid in its present form because, though it is basically sound in asserting that criminal behavior is learning, it does not make use of the learning principles which are now available as a result of experimental laboratory research” (Jeffery 294). Akers’ social learning theory is clearly more modern and up to date than Sutherland’s differential association