Ronald Aker's Social Learning Theory

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The social learning theory was proposed by Ronald L. Akers. Akers's theory represents an elaboration of Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory. This work combined the earlier sociological theory of differential association with the developmental psychological theory of reinforcement. At the time it was the most ground breaking theory for understanding delinquent behavior. His theory concluded that learning can simply occur by observing the actions of others. This approach added a social element to the traditional learning theory. Bandura introduced observational learning, which can be used to explain a wide variety of behaviors. First is the idea that people can learn through observation. Next is the notion that internal mental
The principles of criminology typically define “deviance” as a violation of society’s norms, which are subject to criticism or stigmatization within a social system. There is not one set answer as to why the youth turn to criminal behavior, but there are plenty of biological, sociological and psychological theories that can help obtain reasoning and knowledge to better understand juveniles and their decision making. The social learning theory is only one of many theories, which have added insight on the increasing violence amongst juveniles. It essentially implies that criminal behavior is learned through intimate relations with others. It reasserts the idea that children are born with a clean slate of innocence and only become tainted when they are taught bad behaviors. This theory also states that all people have the potential to become criminals at any moment. This is possible because in this modern society, illegally activities are always present. However, individuals have the choice to engage or not in those presented criminal acts. Social learning theory is a general theory of crime and criminality and has been used in research to explain a diverse array of criminal behaviors, including juvenile delinquency. This theory builds from recognizing the significance of delinquent peers, differential definitions of and reinforcement for offending behaviors, and the influence of imitation of peer

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