Once the positivist position was staked out in criminology, the whole field was opened up for researchers and criminologists to branch out in many different directions. In the last chapter, Chapter Seven, we explored one particular direction, the theories that looked at the structure of American society and noted that a capitalist society caused strain for many individuals. In addition, cultural/subcultural theories were examined. In this chapter, while continuing to focus, at least for the most part, on theories that have received considerable attention and empirical support, we take a look at social learning theories and social control theories. According to Ronald Akers, himself one of the foremost social learning theorists, the term “social
