Sutherland's Differential Association Theory

Just because an individual is in a poor or crime stricken community does not necessarily mean that the individual will become deviant. The individual is influenced to become deviant by who they are associated with. Sutherland’s differential association theory explains deviant behavior as something that is “learned through associations” (Britz & Grennan, 2006, p. 20). There has to be more associations with people who are deviant than that of people who are nondeviant in order for one to become deviant (Thio, 2010). Sutherland’s theory that deviance occurs through association can help explain youth gang membership. It has been noted that there is evidence that the family of an adolescent has an enormous influence on juvenile delinquency (Church, Taylor, & Warton, 2009). It has been
Although, it is unlikely that this approach would hold true for explaining why an adult with no background of juvenile delinquency would suddenly be involved in adult crime organizations. Members of criminal organizations will vary in age but “it is rare that one joins or begins criminal associations as an adult” and that the majority of “gang membership begins during youth and adolescence” (Britz et al., 2006, p. 16). However, there are some flaws in the applicability of Sutherland’s theory for explaining why people become involved in criminal gangs. One such flaw is the claim that one is deviant through the “excess of deviant over conventional contacts” (Thio, 2010, p. 24). It fails to explain why some people who are surrounded by nondeviant influences become deviant and for people who are surrounded by deviance never engage in deviant behavior. The theory analyzes how a person could learn from his or her surroundings but fails to explain “the reasons for why they make delinquent choices” (Church et al., 2009, p. 11). A better explanation of how deviance occurs is through