Social Crime And Social Learning Theory Vs. Trait Theory

In criminology, examining why people commit crime is very important in the ongoing debate of how crime should be handled and prevented. Many theories have emerged over the years, and they continue to be explored, individually and in combination, as criminologists seek the best solutions in ultimately explaining what makes a person act the way they do and the causes for these actions. In addressing the social learning theory and the trait theory, we explore the similarities and the differences and where to look for on improvement.

“If you look back to the original social learning theory, you find it is largely about people learning from each other, and it shows how technology is not part of the equation. Social learning theory has four elements,

With the trait theory, it has more to do with your intelligence than your environment. The major premise of this is that the development of the unconscious personality early in childhood influences behavior for the rest of a person’s life. Criminals have weak egos and damaged personalities. The main focus of this is mental illness. In regards to social learning theory, one’s criminal behavior is learned through human interactions. Learning theories help explain the role that peers, family, and education play in shaping criminal and conventional behaviors. If crime were a matter of personal traits alone, these elements of socialization would not play such an important a part in determining human behaviors. Mental illness is part of the major crime causation for trait theory. According to some estimates, as much as 50% of the U.S. prison population suffers from some form of mental

The social learning theory extends this by taking into account that we may see other people being rewarded or punished, and adapt our own behaviour accordingly. However, social learning theory and behaviorism does not take into account that people have thoughts. It assumes that we have no free will over what we do and only respond according to what we have previously been exposed to. It also concerns itself solely with observable behaviors. Social learning theory can therefore be improved by attempting to explain where our thoughts come from, and how they affect our