Applying Crime Theories to Seung-Hui Cho Tragedy struck Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007, when Seung-Hui Cho opened fire on his college, campus killing thirty-two people. His family had reason to believe that something like this could happen as the result of Cho’s odd behaviors. The list of symptoms that Seung-Hui Cho displayed is practically endless, and most, if not all, can be related to different crime theories. Crime theories can be used to help explain what leads someone to commit a crime.
Cho’s family reported that he very rarely talked as a child and spent a lot of time by himself, not wanting to engage in activities with other children. When people tried talking to Cho, he would not even acknowledge their presence. As a result, Cho would not do what he was asked to such a degree that he was being defiant. These behaviors of staying to one’s self and not interacting with others are common to people who are introverts. Introverts fall under the category of personality in Psychological Trait Theories. Being an introvert …show more content…
Learning from those one associates with falls under the category of differential association, which is a type of Social Learning Theory. Although he did not learn from those he personally knew, he could have learned from the Columbine Killers through the media either in the form of news on the television or through circulating newspaper articles. Sutherland and Cressey defined Differential Association Theory by saying, “It is the extent to which a person is exposed to influences supportive of criminal behavior: ‘A person becomes delinquent because of an excess definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violations of law’” (Smångs). Cho must have been exposed to the violence of the Columbine Killers in some way or another to have been able to call them his
Cho’s family reported that he very rarely talked as a child and spent a lot of time by himself, not wanting to engage in activities with other children. When people tried talking to Cho, he would not even acknowledge their presence. As a result, Cho would not do what he was asked to such a degree that he was being defiant. These behaviors of staying to one’s self and not interacting with others are common to people who are introverts. Introverts fall under the category of personality in Psychological Trait Theories. Being an introvert …show more content…
Learning from those one associates with falls under the category of differential association, which is a type of Social Learning Theory. Although he did not learn from those he personally knew, he could have learned from the Columbine Killers through the media either in the form of news on the television or through circulating newspaper articles. Sutherland and Cressey defined Differential Association Theory by saying, “It is the extent to which a person is exposed to influences supportive of criminal behavior: ‘A person becomes delinquent because of an excess definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violations of law’” (Smångs). Cho must have been exposed to the violence of the Columbine Killers in some way or another to have been able to call them his