Introduction Criminological theories examining the causes of crime have been ever changing over the last century. No one theory, in and of itself, can adequately explain why some people engage in criminal behavior, while others abstain from such conduct. Consequently, multiple theories have developed to explain the mystery that is the criminal man. These theories can be classified into two singular levels theoretical causes of crime and criminality. The first theory level is the macro level which tends to focus on influencing factors outside that of the individual that can be applied to society as a whole, such as the neighborhood characteristics (Muftic, 2009). The second of these is the micro level which “analyzes the characteristics of the individual, such as their attitudes and actions (Muftic, 2009).” Multiple theories of crime fall under each of these levels and some can be classified as both macro and micro. For our purposes, we will briefly discuss a theory from each level and the reason it belongs to which classification. Social Disorganization Theory Shaw and McKay collected data that showed how crime was distributed across neighborhoods in patterns that were consistent with the theory of social disorganization (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball, 2015). Social disorganization theory offers insight into why some geographical areas appear to have higher crime rates than others. Social disorganization can be seen through “poverty, racial and ethnic heterogeneity, resident mobility, urbanism/structural density, family disruption, and in many more areas (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball, 2015).” This theory is responsible for relating neighborhood characteristics to crime rates. According to this theory, illegal activity could be predicted by considering a person location. Areas with higher crime rates commonly have issues with poverty, physical decay of the neighborhood, and increased socializing between ethnic and cultural groups (Bond, 2015). The development of social disorganization theory has allowed law
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He developed social learning theory from Sutherland 's differential association perspective, by further addressing how people become offenders. He did this by giving more detail to which mechanisms and processes where criminal learning takes place. Social learning theory is comprised of four concepts: “differential association, definition, imitation, and differential social reinforcement (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball, 2015).” The differential association concept can be described by the direct association with those they spend their time with, and, the norms and values of that group which they are exposed. Definitions address the way a person defines an act and whether or not they approve of it based on their definition. The more they approve of the act, the more likely they are to commit it. Imitation can be described as modeling your behavior to be that of those around you. For example, if a youth sees an older juvenile who they strongly admire smoking and stealing, he/she may model her behavior after their behavior. The final concept is differential re-enforcement which addresses the positive and adverse outcomes of behavior and their re-enforcements which are primarily social. Take for example a student that keeps getting bullied and called names for being a good student who doesn’t partake in taking prescription drugs. This student eventually gives in and takes these drugs with her peers at school. The bullying stops and thus her peers negatively reinforce her substance abuse. Social learning theory is considered a micro level theory due to its emphasis on the social interaction between the individual and those he/she is intimately
He developed social learning theory from Sutherland 's differential association perspective, by further addressing how people become offenders. He did this by giving more detail to which mechanisms and processes where criminal learning takes place. Social learning theory is comprised of four concepts: “differential association, definition, imitation, and differential social reinforcement (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball, 2015).” The differential association concept can be described by the direct association with those they spend their time with, and, the norms and values of that group which they are exposed. Definitions address the way a person defines an act and whether or not they approve of it based on their definition. The more they approve of the act, the more likely they are to commit it. Imitation can be described as modeling your behavior to be that of those around you. For example, if a youth sees an older juvenile who they strongly admire smoking and stealing, he/she may model her behavior after their behavior. The final concept is differential re-enforcement which addresses the positive and adverse outcomes of behavior and their re-enforcements which are primarily social. Take for example a student that keeps getting bullied and called names for being a good student who doesn’t partake in taking prescription drugs. This student eventually gives in and takes these drugs with her peers at school. The bullying stops and thus her peers negatively reinforce her substance abuse. Social learning theory is considered a micro level theory due to its emphasis on the social interaction between the individual and those he/she is intimately