1. Differential Association
Crime and Deviance
Differential Association
Deviance and Definitions
Frequency
Length
Intensity
Priority
Teaching Notes
Differential Association: This holds that an individual is likely to develop criminal tendencies if they: "…receive an excess of definitions favourable to violation of the law over definitions unfavourable to violation"; differential association, therefore, uses concepts of socialisation and social learning to locate behaviour within a cultural framework of rules and responsibilities - who you associate with influences the likelihood of conforming or deviant behaviour. However, this wasn’t simply a case of: "If you associate with criminals you will become a criminal", since it was possible for individuals to receive:
Contradictory socialisation - an individual’s family, for example, might stress non-criminal behaviour whereas the peer group sends out another message entirely. Sutherland and Cressey suggested, therefore, four main variables influenced individual decisions about behaviour:
Frequency: The number of times criminal definitions occur (for example, the belief crime is acceptable) influences how people see deviant behaviour.
Length: The longer the exposure to definitions (criminal or conforming), the more likely they are to be accepted and acted upon.
Intensity: The prestige / status of the person making the definition is important; we are more receptive to the ideas of people we respect.
Priority: The importance we attach to socialising messages from different sources. A child, for example, may prioritise the views of their parents as more important than the views received from television programmes. ©