Examples Of Differential Association Theory

The Differential Association theory proposes that through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques and motives for criminal behavior. In his theory he has basic components that explains how people come to commit criminal acts. I agree with this theory because people act to adapt and fit their environment and I will explain more on why. First thing he speaks about right away is how criminal behavior is learned. I agree with this statement. Criminal behavior isn’t inherited like height or hair color, or health issues. Someone isn’t just born to be a criminal. The way people become criminals is being brought up and raised in the wrong environment. Someone who has been raised by violent parents is more likely

Priority meaning the acts of which these people encountered first. So someone is more likely to smoke marijuana as opposed to taking cocaine because they encountered marijuana first and have been around it enough to eventually do it. Intensity has to do with the situation involved so if you’re a around a group of guys who want to smoke you may not be intensified to do it where as if your around a girl you like and she’s smoking marijuana the situation gets more intense and you may end up wanting to do it as well. 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. Meaning that kids could get into smoking at a young age because they are imitating their parents who are smoking. Or if a person is seduced like the example above would learn the behavior by association. Criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values but it isn’t explained by general needs similar to those of non-criminal behavior. For instance someone robs to make money where as someone works hard to make money. So explaining criminal behavior in such general needs is not the right way to explain it, because if that person was taught that if they need money to go work rather then go steal they would not be doing it, which is why it comes full circle criminal behavior is learned and not