Psychological explanations: Differential
Association Theory
This theory states that individuals learn values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour through
association and interaction with different people.
Scientific basis Crime as a learned behaviour
• Edwin Sutherland developed a set of scientific • Offending behavior may be acquired in the
principles that explained all types of same way as other behavior through learning,
offending... which occurs through interaction with
• "The conditions which are said to cause crime significant others that the child associates
should be present when crime is present, and with.
they should be absent when crime is absent"
Criminality arises from two factors:
• His theory is designed to discriminate
between individuals who become criminals 1. Learned attitudes towards crime
and those who do not, regardless of race, 2. Learning criminal acts.
class or ethnic background.
Pro-criminal attitudes Learning Criminal Acts
• When a person is socialised into a group, they • An individual may also learn particular
will be exposed to values and attitudes techniques for committing crime. This might
towards the law – some will be pro-crime and include how to break into someone's house
others, anti-crime. through a locked window or how to disable
• Sutherland argues if the number of pro- and steal a car stereo.
criminal attitudes outweigh anti-criminal ones, • Sutherland's theory also accounts for why so
the individual will offend. many convicts go on to reoffend – it is
• Differential Association suggests it should be reasonable to assume that whilst inside,
possible to mathematically predict the inmates learn different types of techniques to
likelihood an individual will offend if we know offend, with more experienced criminals
the frequency, intensity and duration of their being eager to try this out. This learning may
exposure to norms and values. be observational or occur through imitation
and direct tuition from peers.
Strengths Weaknesses
Evolutionary power – the theory accounts for crime Difficulty of testing – it is difficult to see the number of
within all sectors of society – Sutherland recognised pro-criminal attitudes a person has been exposed to
that burglary is more associated with working-class and this therefore questions the validity of the theory’s
communities whilst ‘white collar’ crime is more main assumption – offending behaviour will occur when
associated with the middle-class. pro-criminal values outnumber anti-criminal ones.
Shift of focus from unrealistic explanations – the Individual differences and deterministic – the theory
approach shifts the attention from biological factors stereotypes individuals who come from crime-ridden
(eugenics) and states that dysfunctional social backgrounds as ‘unavoidably criminal’.
Association Theory
This theory states that individuals learn values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behaviour through
association and interaction with different people.
Scientific basis Crime as a learned behaviour
• Edwin Sutherland developed a set of scientific • Offending behavior may be acquired in the
principles that explained all types of same way as other behavior through learning,
offending... which occurs through interaction with
• "The conditions which are said to cause crime significant others that the child associates
should be present when crime is present, and with.
they should be absent when crime is absent"
Criminality arises from two factors:
• His theory is designed to discriminate
between individuals who become criminals 1. Learned attitudes towards crime
and those who do not, regardless of race, 2. Learning criminal acts.
class or ethnic background.
Pro-criminal attitudes Learning Criminal Acts
• When a person is socialised into a group, they • An individual may also learn particular
will be exposed to values and attitudes techniques for committing crime. This might
towards the law – some will be pro-crime and include how to break into someone's house
others, anti-crime. through a locked window or how to disable
• Sutherland argues if the number of pro- and steal a car stereo.
criminal attitudes outweigh anti-criminal ones, • Sutherland's theory also accounts for why so
the individual will offend. many convicts go on to reoffend – it is
• Differential Association suggests it should be reasonable to assume that whilst inside,
possible to mathematically predict the inmates learn different types of techniques to
likelihood an individual will offend if we know offend, with more experienced criminals
the frequency, intensity and duration of their being eager to try this out. This learning may
exposure to norms and values. be observational or occur through imitation
and direct tuition from peers.
Strengths Weaknesses
Evolutionary power – the theory accounts for crime Difficulty of testing – it is difficult to see the number of
within all sectors of society – Sutherland recognised pro-criminal attitudes a person has been exposed to
that burglary is more associated with working-class and this therefore questions the validity of the theory’s
communities whilst ‘white collar’ crime is more main assumption – offending behaviour will occur when
associated with the middle-class. pro-criminal values outnumber anti-criminal ones.
Shift of focus from unrealistic explanations – the Individual differences and deterministic – the theory
approach shifts the attention from biological factors stereotypes individuals who come from crime-ridden
(eugenics) and states that dysfunctional social backgrounds as ‘unavoidably criminal’.
