Question

Describe the major criticisms of Sutherland's differential association theory and assess the extent to which Akers' social learning theory overcame these criticisms.

Answer 1

Describe the major criticisms of Sutherland's differential association theory and assess the extent to which Akers' social learning theory overcame these criticisms.

Sutherland’s differential association theory stated that people learn values as they interact with other members of the society. Along with learning values, they also learn attitudes, motives as well as techniques that give rise to the criminal behaviors displayed by these people. This is one of the theories of deviance, according to this theory, criminal behaviour is learned and how and why they become criminals, has been explained.

Major criticism about this theory is that people are rational, and they are motivated on an individual level also, that people work independently. This when considers that a person becoming a criminal is only on the basis of their environment, interfere with ideas such as the inheritance, personality traits exhibited by a person and that these traits are susceptible to the influences by environment.

Aker’s social learning theory was an extention of Sutherland’s theory of crime, which states that, the intent to commit crime and its motivation is as a result of the type of people they associate with. This implies that, social learning, of observation as well as micmicry, help people take up such deviant behaviors. According to Akers, the higher chance of a person to get engaged in a deviant as well as criminal behaviour would be greater as a result of individuals associating with groups that are already engaged in such activities.

The main difference between Sutherland and Akers is that, Sutherland believed that learning only came from family and friends whereas Akers believed that learning would be as a result of the reinforcements obtained by individuals.