Transcript Social Learning Theories - Cooley, Wilson Hall, Sociology Lab

Social Learning Theories
1. Edwin H. Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory
2. Ronald Akers’ Differential Reinforcement Theory
http://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 association refers 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
Definitions are 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 Reinforcement refers 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 Social
Organization
Distribution of Definitions of Crime
Question to think….
Where did the first criminal come from?