This essay will present the theory of differential association by Edwin Sutherland. In order to achieve a better understanding of the phenomenon it is crucial to recognize the values of the historical circumstances of the 1960s; the rising urbanisation, the development of the middle class districts, and crime only considered as a lower social class problem. This essay will critically assess Sutherland’s concept’s relevance today, especially in the context of youth crime.
The founder of the concept of differential association Edwin Sutherland believed that crime is a direct result of the influence of social interactions. Differential association is directly evolved from the notion of “social disorganisation”, which was established by the Chicago School. Sutherland’s theory attempts to extend the …show more content…
Shay and McKay’s social disorganisation theory is an ecological approach and it considers crime to be a social product. The Chicago School observed why crime and delinquency rates are higher in some parts of the neighbourhoods and lower in others. They have established that certain traits and elements make a community more vulnerable to crime, such as low education, high poverty, immigration, urbanisation, and industrialisation. The city of Chicago was rapidly developing in the twentieth century; in 1843 it retained over four thousand residents, in 1890 it raised to one million, and by 1910 it had reached over two million inhabitants. Thorsten Sellin states that during mass immigrations and social change processes, such as those which took place in Chicago city, groups with different values and norms often bordered with one another. The immigrants’ old norms and values conflict with those of the locals, emerging cultures to compete for space. One of the most famous geographic model explaining a typical layout of a city is the
The founder of the concept of differential association Edwin Sutherland believed that crime is a direct result of the influence of social interactions. Differential association is directly evolved from the notion of “social disorganisation”, which was established by the Chicago School. Sutherland’s theory attempts to extend the …show more content…
Shay and McKay’s social disorganisation theory is an ecological approach and it considers crime to be a social product. The Chicago School observed why crime and delinquency rates are higher in some parts of the neighbourhoods and lower in others. They have established that certain traits and elements make a community more vulnerable to crime, such as low education, high poverty, immigration, urbanisation, and industrialisation. The city of Chicago was rapidly developing in the twentieth century; in 1843 it retained over four thousand residents, in 1890 it raised to one million, and by 1910 it had reached over two million inhabitants. Thorsten Sellin states that during mass immigrations and social change processes, such as those which took place in Chicago city, groups with different values and norms often bordered with one another. The immigrants’ old norms and values conflict with those of the locals, emerging cultures to compete for space. One of the most famous geographic model explaining a typical layout of a city is the