John Wayne Gacy's Social Learning Theory

John Wayne Gacy was a U.S. serial killer who was found guilty of killing 33 boys and young men (McCormick, 1998). Gacy was born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois (Sullivan, 2013). John Wayne Gacy had two sisters, Joanne and Karen and had a difficult relationship with his father. His father was an auto repair machanic and World War I veteran (Jones, 2012). Whenever his father came home from work, he would go to the basement and drink. His father was an alcoholic and used physical punishment on all of his children (Jones, 2012). He would even beat the children with a razor strap if they misbehaved (Sullivan, 2013). Gacy’s mother tried her best to protect the children, but Gacy’s father physically assaulted her as well (Jones, 2012). Additionally,

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,

indirect association and identification with more distant reference groups” (Social Learning theory, 2016). Any human being that an individual has direct or indirect contact with, has the ability to influence social learning. These influences can be positive or negative and have a direct correlation with criminal and non-criminal behaviour. There are two major forms of association, primary and secondary (Cochran & Sellers, 2017). Family and friends are considered primary associations, and other individuals such as neighbors, teachers and church groups are considered secondary associations (Social Learning theory, 2016). Studies show that learning criminal behavior occurs mostly within the primary groups, but may also be influenced by secondary associations. Akers also recognizes that the timing, length, frequency and nature of the contact influence behaviour (Social Learning theory, 2016). For example, if a child spends a large portion of each day with friends who misbehave, the child has a greater chance of misbehaving as