Social/Psychological Explanations for Crime Flashcards
(11 cards)
Define social learning theory
Suggests behaviour is learned through observation, imitation, and vicarious reinforcement
Define differential association
Proposed by Sutherland, and suggests that people vary in frequency with which they associate with others that have more or less favourable definitions of crime. These attitudes influence our own behaviour.
According to differential association, how is criminal behaviour learned?
Communication with intimate groups (e.g family, peers, work, school, etc.)
What are the two elements of learning criminal behaviour? Provide examples
Skills (e.g computer fraud, insider trading) and favourable definitions (e.g “it’s okay to drive after a few beers”)
According to differential association, what are the three conditions that need to be met for someone to commit crime?
1) the person has learned the requisite skills and techniques for committing crimes
2) the person has learned an excess of definitions favourable to crime over unfavourable definitions
3) the person has the objective opportunity to commit crime
What did Sutherland suggest about the changing weight of differential association?
Definitions that are presented more frequently, for a longer duration, earlier in life, and in more intense relationships have more weight
Define gender socialisation
Learning socially approved behaviours, gender norms, attitudes, and values that have been associated to a biological sex
How does gender socialisation begin?
In early childhood, occurs through the education system, family life, enforced by authority and in social groups.
How does the gender socialisation theory suggest that boys are more socialised to commit crime?
Traditionally boys have less contact with their fathers as role models due to them being at work.
They search for external masculine influence missing due to paternal absence.
This is found in social groups that reinforce aggressive and risk-taking behaviour.
How does Sutherland identify how boys and girls are socialised differently?
Suggests that girls are raised to be more supervisory and controlled, whereas boys are socialised to be aggressive, giving them more opportunities to be deviant than girls
Describe Smith and Lloyd’s research to support gender socialisation
Had mothers with ‘actor babies’ who represented a female and male baby with gender-appropiate names and clothing.
Found that when child was perceived to be a boy, there were more instances of physical play and encouragement of physical action as well as using more male-oriented toys.
