The social learning theory through a psychological perspective advocates that people are not born with violent dispositions; however, they learn criminal behavior through their environment and life experiences (Gosselin, 2013). The social learning theory believes people develop knowledge on how to function by modeling themselves after the people whom they have observed (Schmalleger, 2011). Although the social learning theory states that people can learn through observation, learning does not necessarily lead to aggressive behavior.
Albert Bandura’s social learning theory has become the most persuasive theory of learning and growth. There are three main concepts of the social learning theory: observational …show more content…
The theory of deviance advocates that the way the person is built is a clear indicator of whether or not the individual is a “born criminal” (Aslam, 2014). Lombroso associated the following characteristics to be that of a criminal: excessive cheekbones, long arms, large jaw, large lips, large chin, and a twisted nose (Aslam, 2014). According to the Lombroso’s theory of deviance males with at least five or more of the identified characteristics and females with three of the characteristics were “born criminals” (Aslam, 2014). For example, in accordance with the Lombroso’s theory of deviance, a person can be marked as a “born criminal” if their physical make-up consists of three to five of the identified