Criminological theorists have long recognized the importance of peer influence in the development and maintenance of delinquency during adolescence. The strong association between an adolescent’s delinquent outcomes and that of his or her peers is one of the most consistent and reliable findings of delinquency studies (Elliot & Menard 1996; Matsueda & Anderson 1998; Haynie 2001). This association has been shown to be significant for several different delinquent outcomes such as drug use (Jang 2002; Krohn et al. 1996), cigarette and alcohol use (Urberg et al. 1997), fighting (Rees & Pogarsky 201X), and general delinquency indices (Haynie 2002; Jang 1999).
The breadth of research documenting the association between the delinquency of an adolescent and that of his or her peers is impressive but criminological theorists have begun to recognize adolescent friendships may not simply reach a constant level of quality, structure, and/or influence once the transition from childhood to adolescence is made. Matsueda and Anderson (1998:301) state,
“…what is needed is a theory of crime that is combined with a theory of peer group formation…such a theory would embed friendship patterns within a larger social organization and explain how the structure of friendship networks operates…”.
Elements of this type of thinking are found in classic theories of crime such as differential association theory and social learning theory. Prominent in both theories is the idea that adolescent relationships can vary in terms of frequency, priority, intensity and duration. Each recognizes the quality of adolescent relationships can vary between friendships. Accordingly the delinquent actions of peers “will carry more weight if a person is frequently exposed to them, over a long period of time, and from an early age if they come from a significant person in their life” (Kurbin et al. 2009).
Yet, classic theories of crime have been criticized for being static in nature, lacking dynamic propositions of within-individual change (Farrington 2005). The addition and subtraction of friendships means that the number of friends in an adolescent’s peer network may vary during the adolescent time frame. Furthermore, newer friendships in early stages of development maybe less intimate and have a lower level of emotional attachment. Less time may be devoted to doing activities with these friends and therefore the frequency of interaction with them may be lower compared to more established relationships. But, new friendships may become stable and gain importance in the life of an adolescent.
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)
There are many different views on the origins of criminal behaviors within societies. One possible reason for why people commit crimes could be because they learned it from others. Edwin Sutherland works to explain this tactic through his theory of differential association. His theory states that criminal behavior is learned in interaction with others in intimate, personal groups. The learning of criminal behavior depends on the strength of the relationship with those who commit deviant actions. This learning also depends on their definitions of legal codes. For example, some people in society rationalize traffic speeding if it is only a couple miles over the speed limit while others are strongly against speeding at any degree. When a person’s
Many theories, at both the macro and micro level, have been proposed to explain juvenile crime. Some prominent theories include Social Disorganization theory, Differential Social Organization theory, Social Control theory, and Differential Association theory. When determining which theories are more valid, the question must be explored whether people deviate because of what they learn or from how they are controlled? Mercer L. Sullivan’s book, “Getting Paid” Youth Crime and Work in the Inner City clearly suggests that the learning theories both at the macro level, Differential social organization, and micro level, Differential association theory, are the more accurate of the two types of theory.
Across the wide body of studies delving into delinquency in America, it is easy to locate research on and analysis of minorities, underprivileged socioeconomic urban centers, and turbulent family structures. However, this leaves a significant section of the delinquent population largely neglected: white middle-class youth. Contrary to the factors shown to affect delinquency in others and the applications of theory applied to them, the issues plaguing this particular portion of adolescents are in many cases entirely unique, suggesting the necessity of a more nuanced approach from angles that have up until fairly recently remained unexplored.
Sampson, R., & Laub, J. (1990). Crime and Deviance over the Life course: the salience of adult social bonds. American Sociological Review, 55(5), 609-627.
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...
Dick, Andrew J, Randall M. Jones, and Reed Geersten. Self-Reported Delinquency Among Teen Court Participants. Journal for Juvenile Justice and Detention Services. Volume 18. No. 1.
Thompson, W. E. and Bynum J. E. (2010). Juvenile Delinquency: A sociological Approach Eighth Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
In 1830 in a little log cabin lived a young couple, whose lives turn into a nightmare, one characters life went to a life of loneliness and supernatural events. The Boarded Window is a love and death story the turns into a supernatural. The main character murlock was a loving husband by trying to keep his wife well but it did not work so she died. Then murlock started losing his mind and went crazy over time. The Boarded Window is a love and death story the turns into a supernatural. The main character murlock was a loving husband by trying to keep his wife well but it did not work so she died. Then murlock started losing his mind and went crazy over
Throughout the years criminologists have tried to come up with explanations for what makes individuals more prone to engage in criminal activity. The explanations can range from labels given to individuals to the bonds individuals have with others. Over the years, the theories have been tweaked and integrated to help gain a better understanding of why individuals commit crimes. Some theories also call for explanation on how to reduce crime in the future as well. Everything in society is caused by something, which produces the effect. The cause is generally what goes unknown most of the time. This paper will analyze Labeling Theory and Social Bond Theory. First I will clearly describe
Some of them get connected in order to threaten other people in the society who are not engaged in gang operations (Klein & Maxson, 2006). Once they find a specific group that is willing to be a part of their unlawful deeds, then they connect and work with them. Conclusion This study illustrates that crime rates are on the rise in the world at present. Many young people experience a sense of loneliness and discrimination from the society at large. Due to this, many of them look for associates who appreciate the certainty that they feature.
However, even though several aspects of the peer social environment may be undergoing transition and change during adolescence it is also during this time that friendships are hypothesized as becoming the most important social context in which an adolescent functions. Accordingly, time spent in the peer social environment occupies the greatest part of an adolescent’s day (Csikszentmihalyi and Larson 1984). If this is the case, a natural question to ask is what happens to the pattern of influence peers have on delinquent outcomes during adolescence?
Families serve as one of the strongest socializing forces in a person's life. They help teach children to control unacceptable behavior, to delay gratification, and to respect the rights of others. Conversely, families can also teach children aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior. In adults' lives, family responsibilities may provide an important stabilizing force. Given these possibilities, family life may directly contribute to the development of delinquent and criminal tendencies. Parental conflict and child abuse correlate with delinquency. Though not all children who grow up in conflictive or violent homes become delinquent, however, being exposed to conflict and violence appears to increase the risk of delinquency. At this point, researchers have not pin pointed what factors exactly push some at-risk youth into delinquency. A child with criminal parents faces a greater likelihood of becoming a delinquent than children with law-abiding parents. However, the influence appears not to be directly related to criminality but possibly to poor supervision.
The social environment of teens holds an enormous influence on how the teens act and behave. Teens are easily influenced by their surroundings and they look to others for guidance. Their behavior results from that of the parent and peer influences. Parents play a particularly influential role in their child’s life and it is up to them to make sure that they are leading their sons or daughters in the right directions. A teen’s peers also play a large role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not around. A teen’s social environment, consisting of family and peers, plays a vital role in their life, therefore becoming the ultimate cause of juvenile delinquency.
There is no one certain theory, regarding juvenile delinquency, that can completely distinguish all the determining factors that makes youth turn to crime; although, the study of all these theories and ideas can bring criminologist one step closer to uncovering the truth about juvenile delinquency. Only the further understanding of juvenile delinquency can help the prevention of future juvenile offenders. This paper will focus on the individual factors of delinquency, as well as the social elements, and provide an explanation of how the combination of the two elements may cause children to engage in criminal activity.