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Summary Criminology 310 Exam Notes (Unit 8, Section A)
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Criminology 310. Exam notes.Unit 8. Social Process Perspectives.
DISCUSS SUTHERLAND’S DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY (10 MARKS)
White collar crime and life history. (best known for his study of it)
Rejected determinism
Influenced by sociology (Chicago)
Symbolic interactionism: construct ‘definitions’ from experience and then generalize.
Culture conflict (dominant group)
Sutherland’s propositions (9) (listed below)
Crime = excess of definitions favourable to violation of law
Differential association vary in:
Frequency
Duration
Priority
Intensity
Learning criminal behaviour follows the same mechanisms as any other learning
Crime is not explained by general needs (non-offenders have the same needs)
Crime is learned from others (associations)
Areas with high crime are not disorganized (divergent standards)
Who and what you value influence (criminal) behaviour.
Sutherland is best for his study of white-collar crime, his life-history analysis of a
professional thief and his development of the theory of differential association.
First, we will recognize in differential association theory the idea of cultural transmission.
Second, we will find that the work of the symbolic interactionists George Herbert Mead and
Thomas, and others was influential. And the notion of culture conflict is a central theme in
differential association theory
Sutherland derived the concepts of differential social organization and differential
group organization. He utilized these concepts to explain variations in crime rates
across countries, cities and groups.
Sutherland’s nine propositions:
1. Criminal behaviour is learned
2. Criminal behaviour is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of
communication.
3. The principal part of the learning of criminal behaviour occurs within intimate
personal groups.
4. When criminal behaviour is learned, the learning includes a) techniques of
committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated and sometimes very
simple; b) the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations and attitudes.
, 5. The specific direction of motives and drives is learned from definitions of legal codes
as favourable and unfavourable.
6. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favourable to
violation of law over definitions unfavourable to violation of law.
7. Differential association may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity.
8. The process of learning criminal behaviour by association with criminal and anti-
criminal patterns incorporates all the mechanisms that are involved in any other
learning.
9. Although criminal behaviour is an expression of general needs and values, it is not
explained by those general needs and values, since non-criminal behaviour is an
expression of the same needs and values.
Sutherland makes it clear that criminality is not inherited. Rather, it is learned in the same
way that any other behaviour is learned: through interpersonal communication and social
interaction in intimate groups – primary groups (including family and friends). What is
learned through this process includes particular attitudes and motivations and even knowing
how to commit a crime does not mean that a person will engage in criminal activity. To
become a criminal or a delinquent, one must also learn specific situational meanings or
definitions.
Sutherland called the process of social interaction by which definitions are acquired
differential association.
He chose the term to emphasise that “in any society, the two kinds of definitions of what is
desirable in reference to legal code exist side by side, and a person might present
contradictory definitions to another person at different times and in different situations.”
All associations are not equal.
They vary in: FREQUENCY, DURATION, PRIORITY AND INTENSITY. i.e. associations
that occur often (frequency) and are long-lasting (duration) will have a greater impact on an
individual than brief, chance encounters. Associations that occur early in a person’s life,
especially in early childhood, are more important than those that occur later (priority). And
associations with prestigious people or with those one holds in high esteem will be more
influential than associations with those for whom one has little regard or who are socially
distant in one’s life (intensity).
EVALUATE SUTHERLAND’S DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY (5
MARKS)
(his theory is untestable)
Casual order (what comes 1st)
Neglects influence of friend’s behaviour
Overemphasis of intimate personal groups
Difficult to test
Female delinquents?
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