Differential Association Theory
Author
First of all, it makes sense to introduce the author of the differential association theory. Edwin Sutherland was born in 1883 in Nebraska. He received a PhD in sociology and political economy. After that, he pursued a career in criminology, becoming one of the most recognized specialists in the country.
In several editions of his influential volume, Principles of Criminology, he outlined the differential association theory in detail. However, he is famous for contributing to criminology by conceptualizing the White Collar Crime theory. According to Sutherland, it is a crime committed by upper-class individuals whose acts should be analyzed differently.
Definition
Differential association theory emphasizes that criminal behavior is learned in intimate social groups. Interacting with family, schoolmates, neighbors, media, and especially criminals, a person might shape deviant behavior traits through learning. Not all social relations need to contribute to the probability of crime. Instead, Sutherland seems to be inspired by some kind of existentialist philosophy because he claims that deviant behavior appears because of social influences. Such an approach breaks the traditional perspective that criminal behavior is something innate and unchangeable.
Implications
Differential association theory profoundly influences criminology because it implies several assumptions about the origins of crimes. In the abstract forms, criminologists should understand that definitions of what is lawful and unlawful are a matter of normative conflict. Powerful groups rewrite the rules of the game because they are stronger.
Therefore, people affected by poverty, lack of education, and continuous marginalization may be engaged in criminal behavior with a higher probability. The government should address this problem through special prevention and intervention policies. In addition, the idea that criminal acts are related to social interactions means that there are special criminal networks under every crime. Hence, law enforcement should try to disrupt these networks and stop the transmission of criminal behavior from one to another.
Theory Critique
Although the theory has an innovative perspective and directs public attention to the impact of social problems, some scholars criticize some of its assumptions. Firstly, it is hard to explain how “learning” happens. It is unclear whether it happens because of persuasion or admiration.
Secondly, Sutherland seems to classify almost all interactions with others as leading to deviant behavior. It is hard to disentangle the good and bad influences of groups. Thirdly, in Sutherland’s theory, all individuals he describes are the same. Hence, it isn’t easy to trace how different personality types may interfere with the causality.
Discussion of Cases
Police Attack Against Iran Protests
To understand the applicability of differential association theory, it is beneficial to discuss several cases of criminal behavior. The first case concerns the horrific events in Iran, where many people protested against the regime of Ebrahim Raisi and the violence of the morality police. The police attacked several students after they refused to sing the national anthem as ordered by the police. The problem here is understanding the origins of such cruelty.
In an ideal world, police officers should be the protectors of society from threats, protecting people from the violence of others. Many may jump to premature conclusions and say that their innate cruelty provokes police violence in Iran. Sutherland cannot agree with such a generalization and provides a different explanation.
So, the case of the Iranian police officers is an excellent illustration of the thesis that criminal behavior is a consequence of social contact. The case of Iran has slightly different optics since the crime here is committed not by criminals in the literal sense of the word but by the police. But still, corruption and anti-client relations in the police are the social backgrounds that influenced the increase in cruelty. Having a consistently high income, high social status, and patronage from the state, the police do not hesitate to use the most brutal methods to counter the protesters.
British Children Stealing Food
The second piece of news concerns the problem of poor children in the UK stealing food from school. The author of the article explains that children may also miss classes because they do not have the money to pay for transportation to school. In fact, children are involved in criminal behavior as they commit theft. At the same time, few people can accuse the children who have committed these offenses of an innate tendency to steal and other crimes.
Considering this case from the perspective of differential association theory, it shows how social disadvantage may shape criminal behavior. Such an obvious situation is not the case in many other instances of crime, so criminalists should pay attention to the root causes of offenses. In addition, it may be that children united in groups and collectively stole the food. In their small community, it could be acceptable to steal food in the case of extreme hunger. In general, it shows why government intervention through the financial support of vulnerable individuals and other evidence-based policy measures is important.
References
Maloku, A. (2020). Theory of differential association. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 9(1), 170-178. Web.
Sutherland, E. H. & Cressey, D. R. (1978). Criminology. J. B. Lippincott Company.