Essay about Social Learning Theories and Juveniles

Social learning theory argues that crime and the manifestation of deviant behaviors are socially learned behaviors (Schram, & Tibbetts, 2018). The key factor in the

And on the other hand how “Code of the Streets” shows links to the Differential Association and Social Learning theories of crime. The Differential Association (closely related to Social Disorganization theory), developed by Edwin Sutherland, and Social Learning theory, developed by Ronald Akers, both theories of crime are theories that try to explain, at a micro-level, why individuals rather than groups of individuals commit crime (Feldmeyer, Differential Association and Social Learning, 2015).

"Differential association is a social learning theory that centers on ‘explanations [for behavior] that focus on the mechanisms through which people learn the techniques and attitudes favorable to committing deviant acts'. The theory of differential association posits that people experience differing expectations for what is considered appropriate behavior. More specifically, through their friendship groups, people learn what is considered delinquent behavior in that people learn to participate in illegal, or deviant, activities from the people with whom they are closest. Researchers have highlighted four dimensions on which differential association varies including: the frequency, duration, priority, and intensity of association. In short, the influence of intimate personal groups varies depending on the how frequently they assemble, the amount of time they spend together, the level of priority the friendship is to group members, and the intensity of the friendship group. Researchers argued that most learning of delinquent behavior occurs in small, informal

Why do criminals commit crime? How to we learn to commit crime? These questions can be answered using social learning theory. "Social learning approach is the assumption that all human behavior is socially learned" (Thompson, Bynum 2013 115). The theory of differential association was developed by Edwin Sutherland to try and explain the development of criminal behavior. Essentially what this theory says is that deviant group behavior results from normative conflict. Normative conflict arises when multiple probable rules exist, specifying how one ought to behave in a given situation. Conflicts among norms affect deviant people of a variety of social groups. An individual is part of many social groups including friends, family, and school. Every group has its own set of social norms. Sometimes the norms between these groups can conflict with each other resulting in the possibility of deviant behavior

It’s been proven that the measure of the theory explains delinquency and drug use within families, schools, and even neighborhoods. The measure to achieve the goals set out for this theory were not as sufficient as others. It was also said that strain variables had different outcomes. For example, a person with delinquent friends is more likely to get in trouble than a person who surrounds their self with better people. Strain related to higher rates of delinquency when they controlled the effects of social control and differential association variables.

Based on the social disorganization theory; Shaw and McKay account for high crime begins with poverty, low socioeconomic status and the inability to “control the teenage population,” (Sampson, 2016). Shaw and McKay also knew that within the community, delinquency was a trait that was picked-up by and from other delinquents. Furthermore, if the ability to control young

Life Course theory could be the consequence of Differential Association Theory. How someone learns to commit crime from other people can affect later offending. LCT focuses on age-specific developmental stages, life stages, turning points, and transitions. This theory requires a longitudinal study (Belknap 83-84). Women who have been taught by peers to commit crime at an early age could continue to offend until a transition in their lives make them shift away from delinquency. This could be marriage, religion, or children. Researchers need to conduct studies on women and men to compare and contrast the two groups. The data from that study could help lead to policies to decrease female offending. Life Course Theory has two hypotheses. The first looks at childhood antisocial behavior and how it can predict problems in adult development. What happens early on in life is fundamental in development, but there is potential for change. The second considers how social bonds to work and family in adulthood explain changes in offending and other developments over the life span (Belknap 84). It looks at how social bonds might alter people’s lives to shift them away from crime.

Edwin Sutherland’s theory of Differential Association theory is about an individual learning criminal behaviour through interaction with intimate groups. His theory includes four modalities, which are frequency, duration priority and intensity. Sutherland’s theory is seen

People may wonder the reasons as to why so many juveniles are being found committing as many harmful crimes that they are in today’s society. There is a list of reasons that the ACS Distance Education organization has listed to being factors as to why juveniles may be committing crimes or becoming more susceptible for it. In their lists they name peer pressure, peer involvement in problem behavior, lack of supervision, criminal parents, lack of discipline, family income, drug or alcohol abuse, mental illness, family conflict, opportunity for crime, and poor education. There may be several other reasons that juveniles are becoming active in crime but these are the main ones that stick out (ACS, 2014). Teens can often find themselves interacting with the “wrong crowd” and find themselves engaging in acts that may be new to them that are also illegal. If a juvenile allows themselves to interact and engage in those activities then they will begin to duplicate what they see and commit the same criminal acts. Parents and

Differential association and social strain theory were applied to show how certain conditions can encourage deviance and crime Keywords: crime, inmate, education, family, social strain theory, differential association Introduction Crime rates are growing in America. According to the latest Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) crime statistics, the estimated number of violent crimes in the U.S. increased for the second straight year (FBI Releases 2016 Crime Statistics, 2017). According to the FBI, the violent crime rate rose 4.1 percent in 2016 when compared to 2015’s statistics (FBI Releases 2016 Crime Statistics, 2017).

The Social Learning Theory is a theory created by Bandura that often references children and young adults. Social Learning is observational learning, the basic idea behind it is that we can’t learn all we need to know on our own from experiences and personal observations alone. Some of the we learned is learned from indirect sources, this includes mass media. While mass media isn’t the only source of social learning it is one that has an extremely large effect on us all. According to McQuail (2010) “social learning theory holds that media can have direct effects on people and their influence does not have to be mediated by personal influences or social networks” (492). Social learning mainly happens when the source in which our attention

Social learning Theory, this type of learning is based on a simple response to environmental stimuli. Children are very impressionable, they watch and observe others around them and model the behavior. With it being deviant or criminal behavior that is seen and that would be considered the norm in the juvenile’s world. I feel that a lot of our juveniles today fall under this pattern. Many have been diagnosed with a behavioral or mental illness and/or social problem. Some say this is caused from a broken home, society, etc. This puts a hardship on the juvenile system. 80% of the population of the juveniles that are incarcerated are special needs and they are nonviolent. I think we need a better understanding on how juveniles

The limitation of the differential association theory lay in the question: if deviant behaviour is learned and is indeed "contagious", then why do so many in high crime areas, including criminals own siblings not become criminals? . Sociological conceptions, which regard an individual as a hapless victim of pernicious influences, are limited in providing a critical explanation of deviance, as they ignore the role of personal choice .

The Differential Association Theory, established by Edwin Sutherland in 1947, explicit the deviance of an individual's behavior and how it is learned through interaction with others or associations. There are several components that play a role in this theory that determines the main causes of delinquency. One of the components of this theory is, a person do not inherently become a criminal, it is a learned behavior. A person cannot decide one day he wants to commit a crime if he is not influence or challenge by others. When someone engages in criminal acts, they are most likely influence in some way that motivates them to commit the crime.

The first factor that often leads to juvenile delinquency involves the child’s social influences within their communities. The community of individuals that a child is normally around on a normal basis includes family, friends, and neighbors. Depending on the overall quality of the relationship that the child has with each member of their community, they maybe more or less inclined to commit crimes. According to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, juveniles who experience abuse or neglect from any member of their community may be more inclined to become deviant (n.d.). For example, if a father abuses his child, the odds of the child’s willing to resort to deviance becomes significantly higher than a father who treats his son like a normal parent. Another way a child can be socially exposed to deviance is through example. If a parent is always in a run with law enforcement on a constant basis, that child may grow up to be just like them simply because that is how they were raised. The third and final social influence comes outside of the family circle where the actions that a child’s friends partake in can also determine whether or not the child will pursue acts of deviance. The influence of a friend’s actions can either be positive or negative depending on the values of the friend. For instance, say a child named Johnny hangs around a group of troublemakers who always wreck havoc, smoke joints, and talk trash about everyone. This kind of relationship between Johnny and his friends can lead Johnny to becoming just like the troublemakers because of peer pressure.