Social Learning Theory
- Created by: EmilyEther
- Created on: 27-12-19 12:47
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- Social Learning Theory
- Sutherland
- Crime is a social product, not an individual explanation
- NOT an expression of individual psychopathy
- To do with the social organisation of socities
- Social Control: took influence from Chicago School - social disorganisation in zone 2 caused a lot of crime
- Conflict theories - social disorganisation is caused by conflict between the powerful and poor, which in turn creates criminality
- People receive favourable messages towards violating the law from role models (friends, family)
- Different types:
- Differential social organisation
- Social groups are organised in society, in favour or not of crime
- Different areas are organised in different ways
- Criminal organisation shapes the values of those people in that area
- Differential Association
- Selecting criminal or non-criminal methods to achieve personal and economic status
- Similar to Merton's innovators
- Close contact with certain people can lead to an adoption of their behaviours - these may be criminal
- Subculture theory: influences from culture - these messages may be criminal
- Walter Miller - Lower-class culture theory (1958) - values may have been transmitted in values
- Selecting criminal or non-criminal methods to achieve personal and economic status
- Definition favourable or unfavourable towards the law
- Ratio of definitions define whether you commit crime or not
- Actions with favourable connotations are copied - these may be criminal
- Slums (Chicago School Z2) - people are closer together, have more pro-crime values
- Differential social organisation
- Crime is a social product, not an individual explanation
- Principles of Criminology (1939)
- Criminal behaviour is learned
- In interaction with other people in a process of communication
- Learning occurs within intimate social groups / settings
- Learning includes 2 parts:
- HOW of committing crime - simple (shoplifting) or complicated (hacking)
- Rationalisation - how you argue that what you are doing is okay, justification for your actions
- Social control theories: Sykes & Matza: Neutralisation and Drift Theories - how criminals defend themselves, denial of injury etc
- Differential Association - someone becomes criminal due to an excess of favourable definitions towards the violation of the law
- May vary in frequency, intimacy, duration and priority
- Some interactions may be more intense than other, it is these messages that become a person's main definition
- May vary in frequency, intimacy, duration and priority
- Learning criminal behaviour involves the same learning process that is used for any other action
- Criminality is an expression of needs and values, but these needs and values do not reflect the general view of society's needs and values (eg. economic success)
- Criminal behaviour is learned
- Applying D.A theory
- Law-breaking or law-abiding behaviour due to what is learned - NOT personality
- He could explain crimes of the rich and the poor
- Chicago School - thought to derive mainly from social disorganisation which mainly happened in zone 2 (poverty)
- Some D.A edging towards criminality in poorer areas - 'it's okay to take a little bit of money just to get by'
- Learning Theories
- Human action is not automatic or instinctive, but based on learned experinces
- Childhood, copying behaviour from role models
- Positivism - had predetermined views of crime, did not think that they were made like the learning theories suggest
- Two types of learning
- Behaviourism - learning based on trial and error
- Cognitive - learn through an associations of memories and ideas as part of a problem solving process
- Learning by associaton: CC, OC, social learning
- Human action is not automatic or instinctive, but based on learned experinces
- Pavlov
- Learning through passive association (Pavlov's dogs)
- Not often applicable to crime and punishment - punishment does not often follow crime
- Connected to Beccaria's idea that punishment should be swift and certain
- Skinner
- Learning via reinforcement - positive, negative, punishment
- Behaviours with desirable outcomes will be repeated
- Criminality is encouraged if there is not obvious negative conseuqnece that follows
- Classical school: hedonism: suggests [people outway positive and negative consequences
- Reinforcement for criminal behaviour - theft = PR bc of the goods gained, murder = NR bc of the emeny you got rid of
- Bandura
- Social Learning or Modelling theory
- Behaviour is affected by rewards and punishments BUT ALSO by observing others, especially role models
- Theory of imitation of tohers
- Your behaviour is a re-enactment of the behaviour you saw before you
- Copying what you have seen in accordance with your own goals - tweeking their behaviour to fit your values
- Bobo doll experiment - see notes and slides for more info
- Social Learning or Modelling theory
- Domestic violence
- Witnessed / experienced behaviours as children may be repeated towards future partners
- If children see conflicts being resolved with violence, they may use this themselves in later life
- Evaluation
- No detail of cognitive process behind criminal behaviour - BUT Sutherland did not think that cognitive explanations were relevant
- Can't explain all crimes, esp ones that are seemingly not influenced by others (embezzlement)
- Sutherland
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