Theories have played a vital role in determining ideas that are intended to be explained or tested. In the area of crime, criminological theories have been the foundation of establishing why people commit crimes and also understanding the reasoning behind those actions. The paper will evaluate Doug MacRay from the movie The Town (2010) and the different aspects that made him who he is. Criminological theories like Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura can simplify Doug MacRay and his needs to commit crimes. In this paper, Social Learning Theory will be analyzed and thoroughly clarified. The paper will also analyze the criminal behavior of Doug MacRay and his misfits of friends. Social Learning Theory has a broad aspect of what is defined …show more content…
in deviance and also provides a well structured explanation on the actions of certain criminals. Movie Summary The movie is based in a Charlestown neighborhood in Boston and revolves around Ben Affleck’s character “Doug MacRay” and his group of criminal friends.
The Town (2010) starts with Doug MacRay and his associates robbing a local bank. The team is highly experienced and well-prepared with knowledge of every one of the employees moves and the daily routine of the bank. MacRay is the mastermind behind the group’s strategic planning and attacked the local bank where they took out the security guards and also prevented the employees from pressing the silent alarm notifying the police. MacRay takes the bank manager, Claire, to the entrance of the vault to open the combination lock. One of the workers presses the silent alarm notifying the police. The crew tapped into the police radio feed and hear police chattering a possible robbery at the location that they are …show more content…
at. As Doug and his crew gain access to the vault and steal the cash, police depart to their location. MacRay decides to kidnap Claire to use her as leverage if they encounter law enforcement. The crew slips away quickly before law enforcement arrive and on the way to the safe house, the crew blindfolds and releases Claire near a shore, telling her to keep walking until she feels the water touching her feet. The crew finds out that Claire lives in the same neighborhood that they reside in. Due to the fact that she was at the scene of the crime and lives in the same neighborhood as Doug and his crew, precautions were taken by Doug to get to know Claire and figure out what she knows about what happened during the robbery. Doug begins to form a relationship with Claire and commences to structure a plan to leave his criminal lifestyle behind. Doug’s childhood best friend, James Coughlin, is part of the heist group and is one of the most tempered one of the group. Coughlin volunteers to “take care” of Claire so she wouldn’t give any incrementing evidence against the crew. Doug refrains from revealing his true identity to Claire and she supplies him information that she hasn’t told the FBI, which includes that she saw the neck tattoo of one of the bank robbers. Doug implies that she should keep that information to herself and wait it out until the situation passes over. As Doug becomes closer to Claire, his desire to walk away from his lifestyle increases. Doug encounters someone called “the florist” and he threatens him and his crew to do one last major heist. The crew plans diligently and proceeds with the heist, but the situation turns for the worst. The FBI have been tracking their every move and predicted where they would proceed with another heist next. The heist was aimed at the Boston Red Sox stadium and the cash flow they received that day. After obtaining the money, the crew proceed to the garage of the stadium where they have a getaway car. Law enforcement surround the garage and confront the crew where a shootout ensues. Two of the crew members are shot dead in the situation. Coughlin takes half of the money and proceeds to make an escape when law enforcement invades the garage. Coughlin and MacRay are dressed as police officers and blend in with the swarm of law enforcement that surround the garage. Coughlin and MacRay decide to go separate ways and Coughlin encounters an FBI agent who is suspicious of him carrying a large duffle bag. The agent calls for backup and a shootout with Coughlin initiates and MacRay witnesses Coughlin being gunned down. MacRay proceeds to escape and goes to where Claire always plants flowers in her garden. MacRay places a duffle bag of money in the soil so she can find it and leaves a note that gives her a clue on where he intends to reside and retire. Social Learning Theory One of the most influential and ground breaking theories is that of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory.
Social Learning Theory can be defined as a theory that “specifies a complex explanation involving ever-present, on-going, reciprocal causal relationships between misconduct and social learning concepts” (Tittle, Antonaccio, & Botchkovar, 2012). Bandura’s Social Learning Theory express’s an individual’s unique adaptation to observe, imitate, and learn from one another. The basis of an individual’s learning comes early in age and can affect someone’s life depending on the outside factors that includes family or friends influencing decisions. Young children are affected tremendously by how their parents interact with one another and also how they interact with the child. Bandura states that learned behaviors that children adapt to are caused by positive and negative influences from parents (Cuevas & Bui, 2015). Social Learning Theory is used as a basis to determine why children grow up to have abusive relationships and a criminal lifestyle. Children are susceptible to retain and repeat what they have seen which can determine how they form as a person later on in life. If a child witnesses their dad abusing their mom, then the child believes that abuse is tolerable and portrays the same behavior throughout the child’s life. Social Learning Theory can be a never ending cycle of generations teaching their children positively or negatively depending on the environment the
child develops in (Cuevas & Bui, 2015). Social Learning Theory possesses various factors, but one of the key aspects includes differential association. Differential association is based on deviance and relating to Social Learning Theory, children who had an abusive relationship with their parents tend to associate themselves with other children who are deviant and that participate in criminal behaviors (Prather & Golden, 2009). Positively reinforcing one actions can help shape a person’s view on what is good and bad. “Through learning and reinforcement, the person develops expectancies about his or her behavior and its outcomes” (Barclay, 1982). Bandura states that there are four mediational processes to the Social Learning Theory. Attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation determine the behaviors enacted by criminals. Attention is being exposed to by outside factors or peers that can influence a person’s behavior. Retention is how well a person retains the information or actions learned from outside factors and also determines if the person will imitate the behavior. Reproduction can be defined as a daily behavior that a person sees but cannot imitate because of one’s physical limitations. Motivation justifies that with positive factors the individual will seek the rewards that outweighs their normal decisions (McLeod, 2011). Criminal behavior is a learned behavior and criminals are not born deviant. “When Cloward and Ohlin note that different behaviors emerge in different subcultural groups, they are saying that in certain environments a response is reinforced, whereas in other environments it is not” (Jeffery, 1995). The Town (2010) portrays a perfect example of Social Learning Theory because it demonstrates how Doug MacRay was influenced by his environment and peers. Doug’s father was known as a prolific criminal around his hometown and worked for “the florist”. Doug grew up in a subculture that breeds criminals for generations. Doug’s father, Stephen MacRay, has been a criminal for years until one of his job’s went awfully wrong and he was arrested by law enforcement. Throughout the movie, Doug’s father is incarcerated and Doug has to live with the fact that one day he could be caught also. Social Learning Theory applies to Doug because he grew up in an under developed town with a high crime rate and his father has been a life long criminal. Doug’s attention and retention when he was young determined how he would grow up. His participation in crime was influenced by experiencing his father’s lifestyle and delinquencies. Doug’s best friend, James Coughlin, also played a crucial role in determining his future lifestyle. Furthermore, peer delinquencies can affect a child’s perception of viewing the law the correct way. There are concerns in the Social Learning Theory over perceptual measures and that of someone’s knowledge. “To the extent that perceptual measures reflect more than a respondent’s actual knowledge of the delinquency of his or her peers and random measurement error, studies based on the use of such measures may produce upwardly biased estimates of peer influence” (Meldrum & Flexon, 2015). Peer influences can alter the mindset a child has, which can determine the delinquent acts a child follows through life. Coughlin impacted Doug’s life significantly because they both grew up together and participated in delinquent acts early in life. Doug witnessed his father’s actions and Coughlin’s and determined that committing crimes is easier than following them. Doug and Coughlin basically started a gang since they were young and progressed to adult hood. “Findings suggest that gang members appear no more likely than non-gang members to commit the crimes of theft, property, or those that are drug-related, yet they are more likely to engage in group context violence” (Hartinger-Saunders & Rine, 2011). Social Learning theory provides some limitations to the theory because not every person who has a criminal family will become a criminal themselves. In conclusion, Social Learning Theory was developed to examine and explain why some criminals proceed to act on their deviances. Influences from outside factors like where someone grew up in, family occupations, and peers can determine if someone will follow the path of delinquency and crime. Social Learning Theory attempts to define a person’s behavior and psychology.
The two theories that are being analyzed in this paper are Ronald Akers’ Social Learning Theory and Travis Hirschi’s Social Bonding Theory. Hirschi's social bonding theory is one of many control theories which all take on the task of explaining the core cause of crime; however, this particular theory seems to be the most popular and able to stand the test of time. The Social Bond theory contains four elements that explain what criminals lack that causes them to be more prone to illegal activity, these elements are attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief. On the other end of the spectrum is Akers’ Social Learning Theory, which attempts to explain the correlation between and individual's social environment and their behavior depending on what is praised or punished in an individual's specific social organization. (Walsh & Hemmens)
Social behavior responds to a complicated network of rewards and punishments. The more a behavior is rewarded, the more likely it is to continue. On the flip side of this, the more a behavior is met with negative consequences, the more it is likely to stop. In any given social situation, whether someone commits a crime is largely dependent on his past behavior, or whether someone has received a positive reinforcement to a that crime. According to Social Learning Theory, crime is a direct response to this reinforcement. So in other words, if rewards are greater than punishments, the crime will be committed. Social Learning Theory is meant to operate as a general theory of crime.
The study discussed in the text clearly shows that crime in Hamilton Park is much lower than in either Projectville or La Barriada. The reasons for this are clearly explained by Sutherland’s two learning theories, his differential social organization theory and his differential association theory. The other theories, Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization and Hirschi’s social control theory, do have some merits, but do not apply as clearly to the neighborhoods in the study. Clearly, Sutherland’s theories of learned behavior and favorable and unfavorable definitions offer clear explanations for the crime in Projectville, La Barriada and Hamilton Park.
Social learning theory was first developed by Robert L. Burgess and Ronald L Akers in 1966 (Social Learning theory, 2016). In 1973, Akers wrote a book entitled Deviant Behaviour: A Social Learning Approach, which discussed Aker’s conception of the social learning theory. He developed social learning theory by extending Sutherland’s theory of differential association (Cochran & Sellers, 2017). Social learning theory is based on the principles of Pavlov’s operant and classical conditioning. Akers believes that crime is like any other social behavior because it is learned through social interaction (Social Learning theory, 2016). Social learning theory states that the probability of an individual committing a crime or engaging in criminal behaviour is increased when they differentially associate with others who commit criminal behavior (Cochran & Sellers, 2017). Social learning theory is classified as a general theory of crime, and has been used to explain many types of criminal behaviour (Social Learning theory, 2016). Furthermore, social learning theory is one of the most tested contemporary theories of crime. There are four fundamental components of social learning theory; differential association, definitions, differential reinforcement and imitation (Social Learning theory,
Through Social Learning Theory, an individual can be studied based on the behavior acquired by a role model. Verbal conditioning procedures and observation influences the response to an individual’s personality. Environment factors contribute to the Social Learning Theory. Antisocial model is a major contribute to crime, which influences negative characteristics. The Social Leaning Theory has three core social concepts the must be followed: observational learning, intrinsic reinforcement and modeling process.
- - -. “Social-learning Theory:Observing and Imitating Models.” Human Development. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 1992. 213-14. Print.
High crime rates are an ongoing issue through the United States, however the motivation and the cause of crime has yet to be entirely identified. Ronald Akers would say that criminality is a behavior that is learned based on what an individual sees and observes others doing. When an individual commits a crime, he or she is acting on impulse based on actions that they have seen others engage in. Initially during childhood, individuals learn actions and behavior by watching and listening to others, and out of impulse they mimic the behavior that is observed. Theorist Ronald Akers extended Sutherland’s differential association theory with a modern viewpoint known as the social learning theory. The social learning theory states that individuals commit crime through their association with or exposure to others. According to Akers, people learn how to be offenders based on their observations around them and their association with peers. Theorist Akers states that for one, “people can become involved in crime through imitation—that is by modeling criminal conduct. Second, and most significant, Akers contended that definition and imitation are most instrumental in determining initial forays into crime” (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball 2011:57). Although Akers’ theory has been linked to juvenile delinquency in the past, it has also been tested as a possible cause of crime overall. Individuals learn from observation that criminal behavior is justifiable in certain circumstances. In connection with juvenile delinquency and crime, peers and intimate groups have the most effect on individuals when associated with criminal behavior. One is more likely to mimic the behavior of someone who they have close ties with, whether the behavior is justifiable or...
Social learning theory argues that individual behavior is shaped through the process of reinforcement and punishment. It argues crime is largely detrmined during childhood as a result to incompetent parenting, and tends to persist thereafter.. Differential reinforcement is defined as the balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments that follow or are consequences of behaviors. Social learning theory focuses on four principles: Differential association, differential reinforcement, imitation and definitions. The debt of differential association theory can be seen in these for principal said to affect the individual's probability of committing law violations.
Children who are victims of abuse are likely to display aggressive and demanding behaviors. Being a victim of abuse may interfere with how the child may view themselves, their self-worth and their well-being. In attempts to explain why delinquent is a result of abuse the social learning theory is used. It is explained that delinquent and antisocial behaviors are
In conclusion, social learning theory and labeling theory are both widely viewed. Society should understand why crime happens as it pertains to theories of crime in order to mitigate it. There are many examples that prove both theories. Lastly, there are programs which are beneficial to people of society and that with these programs we can mitigate the crime around
In this beautiful thing called life are a mixture of all kinds of nationality of people, adults, elderly, and youths. As a nation of humans, people have their own personalities and behave a certain way for a reason. In fact, there are some juveniles that misbehave just as the adults do and that is where the problem may or may not stand. As a result of this, comes the questions of how or what may or may not influence delinquency? Could it be that the social process of from where a person resides? People may pounder um why a person behavior can become delinquent, no one is born to be delinquent. This paper will go over, one or more aspects of how my life relate to social learning theory, social control theory, and social bonds. Discuss how those
1. A In chapter 7 this chapter mostly talked about the different theories society has created through social routines. These theories were created to control and describe why criminals commit crimes through their community and social values. This chapter focused more on the variables and factors of why they commit crime rather than stating they commit the crime because of their deemed deviant. In fact, chapter 7 is mainly on the view part of recognizing why certain people replicate crime differently causing the criminal behavior to happen. One thing I liked about this chapter is how Gabriel Trade who coined the idea of crime is a learned process. Was able to look back on past theorist and interpret his ideas towards their research. He created
The definition of the social learning theory is People learn through observing others’ behavior, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors. “Most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.” (Learning Theories Knowledgebase ). Most people learn through watching other. As a child, we learn by mocking what we have observed repeatedly. This is how we learn to walk, talk, speak, and to feed ourselves. We also learn social skills from the people around us. We learn right from wrong, we learn what is acceptable in our everyday lives. We also learn societal norms. Most children learn social norms from the family structure. If the family structure is broken or not complete it may cause problems for the children. If the family has only one parent then the family unit suffers. If the child is part of a family that has deviant problems then the child learns that these problems are the norm. This could lead to the child to think that drinking or drugs are normal. It is also a factor if the child observes crime in the family unit. The child learns that crime is normal until they run up against society who states otherwise.
The paper will focus on the application of the social learning theory through the use of video games that incorporate moral choices into their design. In this paper, I will first describe what the social learning theory is and its implications. I will discuss findings that pertain to the social learning theory and through violent television and operant conditioning from violent video games. I will also explore studies focusing on the impact of moral choices in video games on decision making and moral disengagement. From the data, I will determine my own hypothesis as well as a methodical experiment relevant to the focus of this paper.
The social learning theory explains our moral development through reinforcement and modeling. This theory explores how parents reward and punish children for certain behaviors. If a child