NCJ Number
147295
Journal
Criminology Volume: 29 Issue: 4 Dated: (November 1991) Pages: 851-866
Date Published
1991
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Although the association between delinquent friends and delinquent behavior is well established, the mechanism by which delinquency is socially transmitted remains unclear; the current study used data from the National Youth Survey to assess respondent attitudes toward various delinquent acts and to measure the participation of friends in delinquent behavior.
Abstract
Findings provided both positive and negative evidence for Sutherland's theory of differential association which holds that delinquency results from attitudes acquired through intimate social interaction with peers. The effect of peer attitudes was small, however, in comparison to that of peer behavior. Further, the effect of peer behavior was strong even when peer attitudes and the adolescent's own attitudes were controlled. When the behavior and attitudes of peers were inconsistent, the behavior of peers appeared to outweigh or override the attitude of peers. Results suggest that delinquency is not primarily a consequence of attitudes acquired from peers. Rather, it more likely stems from other social learning mechanisms, such as imitation, vicarious reinforcement, or group pressure to conform. The authors question the ability of differential association theory to explain the influence of delinquent peers fully. 25 references, 2 tables, and 2 figures