DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION- Edwin Sutherland

Differential Association is the most prominent theory of criminal behaviour.

Sutherlands theory can be considered the first truly sociological effort to explain crime.
The nine principles specify the process by which a particular person comes to engage in
criminal behaviour.
(1) The principle that criminal behaviour is learnt provides the foundation for
differential association. This, therefore, expressly rules out hereditary, human
nature and innovation as causes of aberrant behaviour. People are taught how to
behave or misbehave in a social context.
(2/3) The second and third principles of differential association specify that criminal
behaviour is learnt primarily in interaction with significant others such as family of
friends. Differential association extends the learning process to the realm of crime. As
the associations of youths expand it is expected that conduct initially shaped by
parents will increasingly come under the influence of peers, often arousing concern of
the parents about the company kept by their children.
(4) Learning techniques of committing crime are said to be much less important than
learning the mindset (motives, drives, rationalizations, attitudes) conducive to
criminal behaviour. While a particular mindset is essential, familiarity with technique
relates to the type of crime perpetrated and to success in completing it without
detection. Some crimes entail learning complex techniques e.g. white- collar crimes
or computer hacking.
On the other hand, many offenses require little or no- skill. Learning the motives and
drives which result in a relatively constant desire to do illegal things is a requisite of
criminal behaviour. Similarly, criminal behaviours supported by learning
rationalizations and attitudes that desire it as acceptable, e.g. persons may steal or
rape because they have been taught specific attitudes and rationalizations but the
skills necessary for such crimes are usually minimal.

(5) Definitions favourable and unfavourable to the violation of the law identify that
the fifth element provide the key to differential association because they
determine the values or mindset of the individual. Definitions favourable to the
violation of the law may be learnt by law abiding persons and conversely values
supportive of legal codes may be acquired from convicted criminals.
Children usually receive from their parents, some definitions favourable to law
violation, e.g. observant parent ignoring speed limits bringing materials home
from the work place and ways to cheat on tax returns. Accompanying the offenses
are attitudes and rationalizations.
(6) The sixth statement of differential association specifies that an excess of
definitions favourable to the violation of the law over definitions unfavourable
embodies the theory of differential association. It is the weight of definitions
favourable to law violation which may be construed as a ration that determines
the learning of criminal patterns. These definitions are virtually limitless and
occur throughout life with a person becoming criminal delinquent when the ration
exceeds unity.
(7) All associations do not carry equal weight. The theory projects variation in terms
of frequency, duration, priority and intensity. Frequency refers to how often
exposure to definition occur and duration refers to the length of each exposure.
Priority specifies the time that particular associations are initiated. Definitions
absorbed in early childhood are said to have greater impact that those in later life.
Intensity reflects the degree of identification with particular associations. The
more a child identifies with a person, the more weight would be attributed to the
definitions provided by that person.
(8/9) The final two statements of differential association provide further linkage to
general learning principles. They emphasize that criminal behaviour is learnt in the
same manner as other behaviours as products of similar needs and values. It is
meaningless, for example, to attribute theft to a desire for high income because many
law abiding persons also aspire to high incomes.

SUMMARY
(1) Criminal behaviour is learnt.
(2) Criminal behaviour is learnt through interaction with other persons in a process of
communication.
(3) The principle part of the learning of criminal behaviour occurs within intimate
personal groups.
(4) When criminal behaviour is learnt, the learning includes:
-

Techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated,

sometimes very simple/

The specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations and attitudes.

(5) The specific direction of motives and drives is learnt from definitions of the legal
codes as favourable or unfavourable.
(6) A person becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favourable to
violation of law over definitions unfavourable to violation of law.
(7) Differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity.
(8) The process of learning criminal behaviour by association with criminal and anticriminal patterns involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other
learning.
(9) While criminal behaviour is an expression of generals needs and values, it is not
explained by those general needs and values since non-criminal behaviour is an
expression of the same needs and values.