Social Learning Theories

1. Social Learning Theories Akers’ Social Learning Theory

2. Final Paper • This paper requires you to apply the criminological theories to your own experiences • Using at least two theories, explain why you have or have not engaged in criminal behavior • This paper requires you to use critical thinking skills to apply abstract theories to personal experience and to complete a critical self-analysis of your own behavior

3. Final Paper • If you do not feel comfortable revealing your behavior to me, choose someone you know very well and apply theories of crime to his or her (non) criminal behavior • Or, interview someone who has engaged in criminal behavior to figure out the source of his/her behavior

4. Questions to address • Explain the theories in some detail • Why do people commit crime, according to these theories? • What factors are most important in predicting if someone will commit crime? • Using the theories of your choice, explain why you have or have not engaged in criminal behavior. • What factors led you to crime? • Relate these factors directly to the crime theories. In other words, use the terms of the theories to explain/describe the behavior

5. Questions to address • Evaluate how well these theories work based on your personal experience • Why did you cease your criminal activity or why have you continued? • Would the theories you picked predict this? Explain. • Given your personal characteristics (race, gender, class, etc.), why might you be more (or less) likely to engage in crime (in general) and in the particular type(s) of crime you have engaged in?

6. Questions to address • At minimum, engage the class readings as well as lecture material for this paper; • Be sure to properly cite these readings within your paper • If you do use materials not assigned in class (not required), be sure to appropriately cite these materials within the text as well as in a reference page!

7. Final Paper • Paper should be 5 – 7 pages double-spaced, typed in 12 point font with 1-inch margins • Papers that do not meet these specifications will not be accepted and will be penalized as late until they conform to these guidelines • Your paper should be coherent and well-organized as well as grammatically sound (i.e. Proofread prior to handing your paper in!).

8. Social Learning Theory • People learn to engage in crime, primarily through their association with others

9. Social Learning Theory • People are reinforced for crime, they learn beliefs that are favorable to crime, and they are exposed to criminal models • As a consequence, they come to view crime as something that is desirable or at least justifiable in certain situations

10. How to paint with oil?

12. How To Play Poker • Before you can win at poker, you need to learn how to play poker • There are a wide variety of games with different rules (and strategies) • There are even different betting structures (like Limit versus No Limit) and different game formats (like normal "ring" games versus tournaments)

13. Generic Assumptions • All behavior is learned (that is not genetically programmed) • Including techniques, attitudes, drives, and rationalizations

14. Generic Assumptions • The learning of delinquent behavior occurs in small, informal group settings • The learning of delinquent behavior develops from collective experiences as well as from specific situational, current events

15. 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

16. 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 .

17. Inner city

18. Suburb

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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

22. 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.”

23. 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.”

24. Main concepts • Differential Reinforcementrefers to the balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments that follow • Whether individuals will refrain from or commit a crime at any given time depends on the balance of past, present, and anticipated future rewards and punishments for their actions.

25. 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 • Whether or not the behavior modeled by others will be imitated is affected by the characteristics of the models, the behavior observed, and the observed consequences of the behavior

26. White-collar crime • Introduced by Edwin H. Sutherland during his presidential address at the American Sociological Society Meeting in 1939 • White-collar crime “may be defined approximately as a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation” (p. 9)

27. 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

28. 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

29. 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 and, being lost, renders the company fair game to the dis-enchanted employee •  Follow the group/ leave/outlier

30. Crime Rates Predicted by Differential SocialOrganization

31. Distribution of Definitions of Crime

32. Questions to think…. • HOW the first criminal became a criminal? • What is the ratio between favorable vs unfavorable definitions must be for someone to become a criminal?