Criminological Theories Of Criminal Behavior

There is a widespread belief that violent behavior among the youth of today has reached a historically unprecedented high. The children in this photograph are being deviant and acting in a criminal manner. This essay will describe how differential association theory, social learning theory and strain theory relate to the children in this photograph and how their behaviors can be explained by criminological theories. The differential association theory says criminality has learned in interaction with others in a process of communication. (Williams & McShane, 54) Specifically, the hypothesis is that criminality is learned from observations of definitions favorable to law violation, the learning, including both the techniques of committing crime

Differential association is a theory based on the social environment and its circumventions, individuals and the values those individuals gain from significant others in their social environment. (Williams & McShane, 64-65) This theory suggests that these techniques, motivations, rationalizations and attitudes are learned through interactions with people close to them. It does not suggest that people whom are surrounded by negative or criminal actions are negative or criminal. Instead, it suggests that those who have a preponderant ratio of unfavorable to favorable definitions of deviant behavior are more liable to act in a deviant way. (Cressey, 1954-1955) The fact that the children think it’s okay to play with guns and torture others expresses that their society is condoning these actions. If you look at the way the children are holding the guns and the positioning of the guns on the victim’s head, also implies imitation. Imitation is said to be behaviors in which people have observed others engaging in. (Williams & McShane, 39) The extent to which behaviors are imitated is determined in large part by the characteristics of the models, the demeanor observed, and the observed consequences of the behavior. (Akers and Sellers, 2004: 88) Witnessing the actions of others, especially people close to us, can affect our participation in both law-abiding and

(Wesly G. & Ronald L., 2011) Sutherland once said, “… that opportunity consists at least in part, of learning structures. Thus ‘criminal behavior is learned’ and, furthermore it is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication.” (Cloward & Ohlin, 2004). The act of deviance is influenced and learned by imitating or modeling deviant conduct, which in most cases is negative reinforcement. Albert Bandura, an American sociologist, believed deviance to be socially constructed. Juveniles learn to engage in crime in the same way they learn to engage in appropriate behavior: through association or observations of others. Groups like family and peers have an especially large impact on the youth of today learn. Juveniles that have association with others that commit delinquent acts have a higher tendency to follow in the same path. The social learning theory is best summarized by its leading proponent, Ronald L. Akers