Social Learning Theories

Social Learning Theories Edwin H. Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory 2. Ronald Akers’ Differential Reinforcement Theory

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080916224128AAQ8Y2jhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080916224128AAQ8Y2j • “I have a court date for shoplifting and need help? I'm 16 and shoplifted in El Paso, Texas ok so I know I made a mistake and I wont do this ever again. Don't reply if your going to say I'm stupid, cuz yea I already know I am. I got caught shoplifting in Claire's with 3 of my friends. I started the shoplifting idea, but I told them not to do it. They started stealing a lot of stuff, from Sears and Zumies and places like that but I was always scared I would get caught so I never stole. I just told them what I liked and they got it for me …”

Generic Assumptions • All behaviors are learned (not genetically programmed) • Including techniques, attitudes, drives, and rationalizations

How to paint with oil?

Learning • People learn to engage in crime, primarily through their association with others

Differential Association • Edwin H. Sutherland (1939) • Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.. “

Two things to look at • Self-similarity principle –we tend to choose people who resemble us in terms of experience, training, worldview, and so on. • Proximity principle- people with similar background, experience, etc tend to live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, work at the same department, etc.

Edwin H. Sutherland (1939):Differential Association Theory • Criminal behavior is learned. • It is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication. • Learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups.

Differential Association Theory • The learning includes • Techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated, sometimes very simple; • The specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.

Differential Association Theory • Motives and drives are learned from definitions of the legal codes as favorable or unfavorable. • A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violations of law.

Differential Association Theory • Differential associations may vary in • Frequency • Duration • Priority • Intensity

Differential Association Theory 8. The process of learning criminal behavior involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning.

Ronald Akers: Central concepts of Differential Reinforcement Theory • Differential association (groups provide major social context for learning) • Definitions (attitudes/meanings) • Differential reinforcement (anticipated/actual rewards and punishments) • Imitation

Main Concepts • Differential associationrefers to direct association and interaction with others who engage in certain kinds of behavior or express norms, values, and attitudes supportive of such behavior, as well as the indirect association and identification with more distant reference groups .

Inner city

Suburb

Main Concepts • Definitionsare one’s own orientations, rationalizations, justifications, excuses, and other attitudes that define the commission of an act as relatively more right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or undesirable, justified or unjustified, appropriate or inappropriate.

Definitions • General Definitions - include religious, moral, and other conventional values and norms that are favorable to conforming behavior • Specific Definitions orient the person to particular acts. Thus, one may believe that stealing is bad, but stealing from bad people/drug dealers is O.K.

A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of the law • If DFC/DUC > 1.0, • DFC = weighted definitions favorable to crime • DUC = weighted definitions unfavorable to crime

Definitions Unfavorable to Crime • “Crime doesn’t pay.” • “Marijuana causes brain damage and leads to cocaine and heroin.” • “Turn the other cheek when insulted.” • “Always be a law abiding citizen and you’ll be respected.” • “Don’t drink and drive – you can hurt someone.” • “Don’t throw your life away by breaking the law!” • “Sinners will be damned for eternity.” • “Never rat on a fellow criminal or hold out on them.”

Definitions Favorable to Crime • “The Justice Department should be going after real criminals, not me!” • “It’s technically not sex if there isn’t penetration and if you don’t touch her!” • “I can drive after five beers, no problem.” • “If someone questions your manhood, you have to stand up for yourself.”

Main concepts • Differential Reinforcementrefers to the balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments that follow

Main concepts • Imitation refers to the engagement in behavior after the direct or indirect (e.g. in media depictions) observation of similar behavior by others

White-collar crime • Introduced by Edwin H. Sutherland during his presidential address at the American Sociological Society Meeting in 1939

Occupational Crime • Occupational crime occurs when crimes are committed to promote personal interests • Crimes that fall into this category include altering books by accountants and overcharging or cheating clients by lawyers

Sutherland’s explanation • College graduate without history of criminal behavior • High level aspirations/ambitions • Aren't in deviant peers groups, and aren't poor • They live well-ordered lives for the most part; • They are well respected at work and in community • Cheating clients by lawyers • New attitudes, drives, and rationalizations

Sutherland’s explanation • Many major corporations require their employees to lie, cheat, steal and betray customers, competitors, inspectors and other employees • If the company steals from customers; if the company violates pollution laws; if the company converts pension plans to corporate purpose, the moral base is lost • Follow the group/ leave/outlier

Crime Rates Predicted by Differential SocialOrganization

Distribution of Definitions of Crime

Question to think…. • Where did the first criminal come from?

Social Learning Theories