Criminal Behavior: The Four Theories Of Crime

It is said that people with “a positive self-image” and support from various people such as a community, school, friends, and parents can deter from committing a crime and not cross the path into the criminal life. Society has the power to impact one’s life from stopping them from becoming a criminal. The social process approach- an individual’s socialization- determines the likely hood of criminality. By shedding light onto three different theories we can clearly see how much an impact society can have.
The first theory is the Social Learning Theory. The Social Learning Theory is a theory in which explains how crime is a learned behavior. This theory analyzes one’s self and how one reacts to social stimuli. The social stimuli can come from various sources such as community, school, and friends to name a …show more content…
The second theory is the Social Control Theory. The Social Control Theory explains how every single individual is capable of showing criminal behavior and engaging in criminal activity. With that being stated, how come our society still chooses to follow laws and regulations set place by the government, community, and even by our own households? Well the Social Control Theory explains on how our values, beliefs, relationships, and even commitments encourage our compliance. All these are internal and external forces at work which impact one’s life and will make them voluntarily limit their criminal activity or even seize it from happening at all. This suggests “the power of internal means of control, such as one’s own conscious, ego, and sensibilities about right and wrong, are powerful in mitigating the likelihood that one will deviate from social norms” (Agnew, 1985). Meaning that one will chose to follow the rules set forth by society bases on their moral values and their integrity. They will also follow rules based on external forces such as authority