A theory of criminal behavior developed by Ronald L. Akers, building on Robert Burgess and Edwin Sutherland, holding that criminal behavior is learned the same way conforming behavior is learned: through differential association with others, imitation of role models, exposure to definitions favorable to crime, and differential reinforcement of the behavior once it occurs.
Facts
Core ClaimCriminal behavior is learned through differential association, imitation, exposure to favorable definitions and differential reinforcement, the same general learning process that produces conforming behavior. 1 Origin Year1966 marks Burgess and Akers' differential association-reinforcement precursor article; Akers stated the theory fully, under its own name, in his 1973 book Deviant Behavior: A Social Learning Approach. Standing CritiqueSome sociologists objected to introducing behaviorist psychology into a sociological theory, and others charged that its central claim risks circularity, defining criminal associations partly by the criminal behavior they are meant to explain. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Developed By
Informed By
Social learning theory integrates Sutherland's differential association theory with behavioral reinforcement principles from psychology.
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