differential association theory- FORENSICS Flashcards

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1
Q

who came up with differential association theory?

A

sutherland

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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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