A.

INTRODUCTION

There are different theories explaining the acts of deviant behavior. One of which

is the theory of differential association. This theory was first introduced by Sociologist

and Professor Edwin Sutherland in 1939. In 1947, Sutherland in his fourth book

“Principles of Criminology”, finalizes his theory that deviant behavior is socialized

through lack of opposition to such behavior. It explains how it was that criminals came to

commit acts of deviant behavior.

This research paper focuses on the theory introduced and developed by

Sociologist Edwin Sutherland, the differential association theory. The origin, principles,

and critics of this theory will also be discussed.

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B. DISCUSSION of the TOPIC and SUBTOPICS

B.1 Definition

Differential association is when individuals base their behaviors by association

and interaction with others.

In criminology, differential association is a theory developed by Edwin

Sutherland proposing that through interaction with others, individuals learn the values,

attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behavior. Differential association theory is

the most talked-about of the learning theories of deviance. This theory focuses on how

individuals learn to become criminals, but it does not concern itself with why they

become criminals.

B.2 Origin

Sutherland initially outlined his theory in 1939 in the third edition of his book

Principles of Criminology. He then revised the theory for the fourth edition of the book in

1947. Since then, differential association theory has remained popular in the field of

criminology and has sparked a great deal of research. One of the reasons for the theory’s

continued pertinence is its broad ability to explain all kinds of criminal activity, from

juvenile delinquency to white collar crime.

Differential Association Theory explains that people learn to become offenders

from their environment. Through interactions with others, individuals learn the values,

attitudes, methods and motives for criminal behavior.

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 The principles of Sutherlands theory of differential association can be

summarized into nine key points.

1. Criminal behavior is learned.

- This means that criminal behavior is not inherited, as such; also, the person who

is not already trained in crime does not invent criminal behavior.

- Sutherland says that delinquency/criminal behavior is learned in the same way

that any other behavior is learned.

2. Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of

communication.

- This communication is verbal in many cases but includes gestures.

- People don’t just start doing criminal acts, they learn how to do these acts from

“teachers of crime.” Criminal Behavior can’t occur without the aid of others.

3. The principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate

personal groups.

- The interactions people have with their most intimate social companions, family,

friends, peers, have the greatest influence on their deviant behavior and attitude

development.

- Negatively, this means the impersonal communication, such as movies or

newspaper play a relatively unimportant part in committing criminal behavior.

4. When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes techniques of committing

the crime (which are sometimes very complicated, sometimes simple) and the
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 specific

direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.

- Young delinquents or novice criminals learn the ways of crime from the people

that they associate with. They also learn how to defend, rationalize, and show

remorse for their criminal acts.

5. The specific direction of motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal

codes as favorable or unfavorable.

- This different context of situation usually is found in a state where culture

conflict in relation to the legal code exists.

6. A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favorable to

violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of the law.

- This is the principle of differential association. When people become criminal,

they do so not only because of contacts with criminal patterns but also because

of isolation from anticriminal patterns. Negatively, this means that association

which are neutral so far as crime is concerned have little or no effect on the

genesis of criminal behavior.

7. Differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity.

- Frequency – the more frequent the interactions the more likely to have more

influence.

- Duration – the longer the duration the greater influence the interaction will have.

- Priority seems to be important principally through its selective influence and

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 intensity has to do with such things as the prestige of the source of a criminal or

anticriminal pattern and with emotional reactions related to the association.

These modalities would be rated in quantitative form and mathematical ratio but

development of formula in this sense has not been developed and would be very

difficult.

- -Intensity – the importance or prestige attributed to the individual or groups for

which they have interactions with.

8. The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-

criminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other

learning.

- -Learning criminal behavior patterns is just like learning any other behavior

pattern, just because it is criminal it doesn’t mean that it is just imitated

- Negatively, this means that the learning of criminal behavior is not restricted to

the process of imitation. A person who is seduced, for instance, learns criminal

behavior by association, but this would not be ordinarily described as imitation.

9. While criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not

explained by those needs and values, since non-criminal behavior is an expression of

the same needs and values.

- Thieves generally steal in order to secure money, but likewise honest laborers

work in order to money. The attempts to explain criminal behavior by general

drives and values such as the money motive have been, and must completely to

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 be, futile, since they explain lawful behavior as completely as they explain

criminal behavior.

B.2 Criticisms

Clarence Ray Jeffery (1978) holds that Sutherlands theory fails to explain the origin of

criminality since criminality has to exist before it can be learnt from someone else.

Cressey (1952) has said that: It is doubtful that it can be shown empirically that the

differential association theory applies or does not apply to crimes of financial trust

violation or even to other kinds of criminal behavior.

Herbert Bloch (1962) is of the opinion that it is virtually impossible to measure

associations in comparative quantitative terms. Glueck (1951) maintains that an

individual does not learn every kind of behavior from others; many acts are learnt

naturally.

C. SUMMARY

Sociologist Edwin Sutherland first proposed differential association theory in

1939 as a learning theory of deviance and was developed on 1947. Differential

association theory proposes that the values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for

criminal behavior are learned through one’s interactions with others. There are nine (9)

principles that summarizes differential association theory; namely, (1) Criminal behavior

is learned; (2) Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process

of communication; (3) The principal part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs

within intimate personal groups; (4) When criminal behavior is learned, the learning

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includes techniques of committing the crime (which are sometimes very complicated,

sometimes

simple) and the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes; (5)

The

specific direction of motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal codes as

favorable or unfavorable; (6) A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of

definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of the

law; (7) Differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity;

(8) The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-

criminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning;

and (9) While criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not

explained by those needs and values, since non-criminal behavior is an expression of the

same needs and values.

Differential association theory remains important to the field of criminology,

although critics have objected to its failure to take personality traits into account.

D. CONCLUSION

Sutherland’s differential association explanation of offending suggests that

through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and

motivation for criminal behavior. Differential associations (number of contacts with

criminals over non-criminals) may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity.

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 The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-

criminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning.

(behaviorism: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning theory). The

principle part of the learning of criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal

groups. Despite criticisms, this theory remains important to the field of Criminology.

REFERENCES:

Brookes, E. (2021, July 21). Sutherland's differential association theory explained.

Simply Psychology. www.simplypsychology.org/differential-association-theory.html

Cressey, D. R. (1960) “The Theory of Differential Association: An Introduction.” Social

Problems, vol. 8, no. 1, 1960, pp. 2-6. https://doi.org/10.2307/798624

Matsueda, R. L. (1988) “The Current State of Differential Association Theory.” Crime &
Delinquency, vol. 34, no, 3, 1988, pp. 277-306.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128788034003005

Vinney, Cynthia. (2021, December 6). Sutherland's Differential Association Theory

Explained. https://www.thoughtco.com/differential-association-theory-4689191

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