differential association theory- FORENSICS Flashcards
1
Q
who came up with differential association theory?
A
sutherland
2
Q
AO! summary of differential association theory
- what principle is it based on?
- what does it stand for
A
- based on social learning principles
—-> it’s the social organisations in which people are socialised that determine criminal behaviour
- stands for the ratio of favourable:unfavourable definitions of crime
3
Q
explain differential association theory
A
- criminal behaviour learnt through social interactions
- some subcultures in society are organised so that the norms are favourable towards criminal activity, while others are organised so that the norms are unfavourable to committing crime
- individuals come into contact with both types of attitudes (called definitions)
- if individual comes into contact with more and stronger attitudes (definitions) in favour of breaking the law than against it, they’ll consider criminal activity.
4
Q
What are the main influencing factors in differential association theory?
A
- how long they spend with these people
- how personally meaningful these interactions are
- who someone associates with
- how frequently they associate with these people
5
Q
For differential association to work, does someone need to be in direct contact with criminals?
A
- not necessary to associate directly with criminals
- contact with people who are favourable to law breaking is sufficient
6
Q
Alarid study on differential association theory
A
- tested 1153 newly convicted criminals for extent to which DAT could explain their offending behaviour
- found DAT served as a good general theory of crime and that it could explain offending behaviour, especially in men
- argument that it’s necessary to look at the contact of offending and use it to predict the likelihood of someone committing a crime
7
Q
AO3- differential association theory
A
- TOO GENERAL
has no note of the detail of cognitive processes that might underpin criminal behaviour - HARD TO TEST
hard to measure number and strength of an individual’s associations and extent of the influence they may’ve exerted - IGNORES INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
some people are more susceptible to the influence of others - Hard to explain crimes of passion and other impulsive offences by people who haven’t been raised to have deviant values
- drew attention to the fact that not all crimes are committed by deviant psychopaths from poverty stricken backgrounds
- explains prevalence of crimes in certain areas