WMChapter5Outline.pdf

W&M Chapter 5: Differential Association Theory

1. Introduction
a. Two versions of the theory – first in 1939, second in 1947
b. Sutherland wanted to propose a general theory of criminal behavior and

believed that criminal behavior was learned in a social environment.
i. All behavior is learned in the same way. Major difference between

conforming and criminal behavior is in what is learned rather that in how
it is learned.

ii. Previous assumption/position of most crime theory into the 1930s was
crime was the result of biological and psychological defects/issues.

1. Sutherland criticized this and advanced sociological criminology.
a. More cohesive/less complex approach to studying crime

and delinquency that was based in evidence.
2. The Heritage of the Theory

a. The Social Heritage
i. Insights come out of the 1920s/1930s

ii. Uniform crime report provides evidence certain categories of people are
more criminal than others. This also matches Chicago School data on the
ecology of crime.

1. Official statistics support the sociological position rather than
biological/psychological.

iii. Great Depression – Sutherland sees people committed crime out of
because of impoverished conditions. Others who fared better in the
Great Depression took advantage of the situation.

1. Crime and other criminal behaviors obviously not born into
people or a result of a defect/lack of intelligence – rather,
criminality was the product of situation, opportunity, and values.

iv. Prohibition and the criminalization of drug use
1. These forms of crime show that crime is in part a product of the

legal environment – individuals who engaged in behavior that was
not criminal at one point could become criminal by engaging in
the same behavior subsequent to the mere passage of law.

2. Focuses on crime as defined by the legal cods important to
Sutherland because he saw society continually evaluated conduct
in terms of adherence to the law.

a. Sutherland saw he practical importance of working within
legal parameters.

b. The Intellectual Heritage
i. W.I. Thomas – interactional sociology

ii. George Mead – symbolic interactionism
iii. The Chicago School (crime ecology), Parks and Burgess, Shaw and McKay

1. The examination of statistical information and life history

a. The life history approach – Sutherland used to analyze
thieves. First time Sutherland uses the terms “differential
association.”

2. Criminal values being transmitted.
3. Three major theories – ecological and cultural transmission

theory, symbolic interactionism, and cultural conflict theory
a. Allowed Sutherland to make sense of the varying crime

rates in society (culture conflict approach) and the process
by which individuals became criminal (symbolic
interactionist.

b. Wanted to explain both individual criminal behavior and
the variation in group (societal) rates of crime. He had to
take into account that (1) criminal behavior is not
necessarily different from conventional heavier, (2) values
are important in determining behavior, and (3) certain
locations and people are more crime prone than others.

3. The Theoretical Perspective
a. Criminology

i. First version of Sutherland’s box contains discussions of the importance
of interaction among people and the conveyance of values from one
person to another.

ii. First suggestions of differential association theory came in the second
edition.

1. “First any person can be trained to adopt and follow any pattern
of behavior which he is able to execute. Second, failure to follow a
prescribed pattern of behavior is due to the inconsistences and
lack of harmony in the influences which direct the individual.
Third, the conflict of cultures is therefore the fundamental
principle in the explanation of crime.”

a. Evident that Sutherland viewed cultural conflict as
producing social disorganization (the inconsistencies and
lack of harmony”) and, thus, crime.

iii. First full versions of the theory published in 1939 (third edition of the
book).

1. Referred to systematic criminal behavior and focused equally on
cultural conflict and social disorganization and on differential
association.

a. When Sutherland used the term “systematic,” he meant
either “criminal careers or organized criminal practices.”
The references to organized criminal practices seems to
have meant those behaviors with supporting definitions
readily available in the community and not just organized
crime as we think of it today.

b. Differential Association

i. By differential association Sutherland meant that “the contents of the
patterns presented in association” with others would differ from
individual to individual. Thus, he never meant mere association with
criminals would cause criminal behavior. Instead, the content of the
communications from others (the “contents of the patterns presented”)
was given primary focus.

ii. Sutherland viewed crime as a consequences of conflicting values; that is,
the individual followed culturally approved behavior that was
disapproved (and set in law) by the larger American society.

iii. “Systematic criminal behavior is due immediately to differential
association in a situation in which cultural conflict exist, and ultimately to
the social disorganization in that situation.”

iv. As an individual-level explanation, differential association theory is
entirely a product of the social environment surrounding individuals and
the values gained from important others in that social environment.

c. Differential Social Organization
i. Sutherland used the concepts of differential social organization and

culture conflict to offer an explanation of why rates vary from group to
group.

1. Believed that culture conflict is rampant in society. This conflict, in
part a product of a disorganized society separated into many
groups, creates many values an interest among the different
societal groups. Inevitably, many of these values comes into
conflict, and some of them deal with values about the law. Groups
with different values about the law (and lawful behavior) come
into conflict with the authorities more often, resulting in higher
rates of crime and delinquency.

2. The probability of differential association itself (and thus the
learning of conflict definitions) is a “function of differential social
organization.”

d. The Final Version of the theory
i. Second and final version of the theory proposed in fourth edition of

Principles in 1947.
1. In this version, Sutherland expressly incorporated the notion that

all behavior is leaned and, unlike other theorists of the time,
moved away from referring to the varied cultural perspectives as
“social disorganization.” He used the term “differential social
organization” or “differential group organization” instead. This
allowed him to more clearly apply the learning process to a
broader range of American society.

2. Nine points
a. 1 – Criminal behavior is learned.
b. 2 – Learning takes places “in interaction with others in a

process of communication.”

i. This process involves all types of contacts and
exchanges – overt/subtle and indirect/direct.

ii. Key is that content of exchange is meaningful for
the participants who held shared values.

c. 3 – Teaching/learning takes place in “intimate personal
groups.”

d. 4 – Learning process can be simple or complex
i. Two things are learned: techniques for committing

criminal behavior and the definitions (values,
motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes)
supporting such behavior

1. A relationship must exist for skills and
values to be transferred.

2. Techniques are the “how” or the content of
an act and the definitions are the “why” for
doing it.

e. 5 – Criminal mentors provide definitions, drives, and
motives favorable to the breaking of the law.

f. 6 – Criminal behavior results when there is an excess of
definitions favoring criminal behavior, as opposed to those
definitions favoring conventional behavior.

i. Excess of definitions does not refer to quantity but
to weight of definitions – determined by the quality
and intimacy of interaction (frequency, duration,
priority, and intensity).

ii. Resulting behavior often may be determined not
only by the persons to whom one is exposed but
also by the absence of alternative (criminal or
noncriminal) patterns to fall back on.

g. 7 – association that provide the opportunity to learn
criminal behavior vary in frequency, duration, and
intensity – interaction that are more intense or those that
occur more regularly and for longer periods of time are
thought to have more of an impact on participants.

h. 8 – The process/mechanisms of criminal behavior learning
are the same as any other learning.

i. 9 – Criminal behavior is an expressions of general needs
and values, but is not explained by those needs and values,
since noncriminal behavior is an expression of the same
needs and values.

3. Theory focuses on definitions provided by associates. Once
techniques are learned, values can be learned from anyone.
However, definitions provided by close /intimate others are most
important weight/determinant.

a. Different social organizations to which individuals belong
provide the associations from which a variety of criminal
behavior (both opposing/supporting) norms can be
learned. Differential association implies individuals are
exposed to differing associations that people attach
different importance to, and they will learn more from
others they spend more time/are more frequently with.
Once certain definitions exist, people tend to be more
susceptible to those definitions – i.e., people will be more
or less likely to view crime in certain ways when
confronted with new or different situations.

e. Classification of the theory
i. Positivist theory – focuses on criminals and their behavior not law

ii. Microtheory when looking at etiological issues of criminal behavior.
iii. Conflict theory – focus on conflicting values though, not groups/classes.

Sutherland realized that a large number of different values/definitions
existed in a society.

iv. Theory of process, not structure
1. Focus on the behavior and the process operating to create

criminal behavior rather than conventional behavior.
4. Summary

a. Major points of the theory
i. Criminal behavior is learned in the same way as any other behavior

ii. Learning takes place in social setting and through what the people in
those settings communicate.

iii. The largest part of learning takes place in communication with those who
are more important to us.

iv. The intimate social environment provides a setting for learning two
things: the actual way to accomplish a behavior (if necessary) and the
values of definitions concerning that behavior.

v. These values about certain behavior may be in opposition to the
established legal codes. The extent we receive many statements about
values, the weight of those statements (the importance and closeness of
those who convey them) is more important than the actual number of
statements.

vi. Criminal behavior takes place when the weight of the values concerning a
particular behavior is in oppositions to the legal codes.

vii. The great number of groups and cultures in society makes possible the
learning of different types of values or definitions. The greater the
number of groups and cultures in specific areas, the greater is the
likelihood of learning definitions conducive to criminal behavior.

viii. Some groups in society have more values in opposition to the legal codes
than others (some are in more conflict); thus, some groups have higher
crime rates than others.