NCJ Number
169410
Journal
Criminology Volume: 35 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1997) Pages: 517-525
Date Published
1997
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article describes a sociological theory of deviant behavior that is a blending of two earlier theories.
Abstract
The theory of differential association holds that individuals learn to engage in criminal behavior by associating with others, principally in face-to-face groups, who prefer and practice such behavior. The key question in this theory centers on the sociocultural transmission of criminal patterns. The theory of anomie-and-opportunity-structures holds that rates of various types of deviant behavior (not only crime) are high in a society where the culture places a high premium on economic success and upward mobility for all its members, although large numbers of people in the lower reaches of the social structure have severely limited access to legitimate resources for achieving those culturally induced or reinforced goals. The key question in this theory focuses on the socially structured sources and consequences of deviant behavior. In short, the two theories focus on complementary problematics and seek to provide complementary solutions to those problems. Notes, references