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Social theories of delinquency
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Sociological
Individuals are more prone to copy the behaviours of their surroundings. We mimic our role models behaviour, and learn how to take action by copying the people we admire the most. Violent behaviour is not something we are born with; instead we are influenced by our natural environments which force us to react the way we do in particular situations (Schmideberg, 1947).
The concept of learning from observation and replicating this behaviour is referred to as the social learning theory (Miller & Vidmar, 1980). Children are known to try to be like their parents, and children have the tendency to abuse others if they grew up in a household where their parents were abusive towards one another (Ryan, 2007). If a child's parents are well-rounded and non-violent, then the child will most likely grow up to be the same. The Bandura experiments displayed the influence of social learning where a child observed a grown-up hitting a blown up doll. After seeing the grown-up screaming, and hitting the doll, the child was given permission to play, the child copied the grown up and began to hit the doll the same way (Miller & Vidmar, 1980). This illustrates how people apply social learning by watching and replicating the actions they see in others.
An individual’s social environment plays a massive role in how tough a youth is (Kaylen & Pridemore, 2011). This occurs when behaviour is reinforced either positively or negatively, negative punishment can deter positive reinforcement from happening. Positive reinforcement takes place when a youth observes a family member commit a crime and get away with it, as a result reinforcement modelling would occur because the youth member has seen this work to someone else’s advantage....
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...). Gang Membership as a Turning Point in the Life Course. Michigan: American Society of Criminology.
Miller, D. T., & Vidmar, N. (1980). Socialpsychological Processes Underlying Attitudes toward Legal Punishment. Law & Society Review , pp. 565-602.
Rafter, N. (2008). Understanding Biological Theories of Crime. The Criminal Brain , 123-124.
Ryan, L. G. (2007). Relationships With Adults As Predictors Of Substance Use, Gang Involvement, And Threats to Safety Among Disadvantaged Urban High-School Adolescents. Journal of Community Psychology , pp. 1054-1071.
Schmideberg, M. (1947, March). Psychological Factors Underlying Criminal Behavior. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology , pp. 458-476.
Wood, J. L., & Alleyne, E. (2010). Gang Involvement: Psychological and Behavioral Characteristics of Gang Members, Peripheral Youth, and Nongang Youth. Kent: Wiley-Liss Inc.