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Adolescent Thieves and Differential Association 1

The major plank on which the theory of differential association, propounded by Edwin H. Southerland (1942) rests, if restated, is that criminal behaviour is learned in communicative interaction within intimate personal groups. The essentials of this theory are (i) criminal behaviour is learned; (ii) it is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication; (iii) the principal part of learning occurs within intimate personal groups; (iv) the learning includes (a) techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated, sometimes very simple, (b) the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes; (v) the specific direction of motives and drives is learned from definitions of the legal codes as favourable; (vi) a person becomes a criminal because of an excess of definitions favourable to violation of law over definitions unfavourable to violation of law, this is the principle of differential association; (vii) differential association may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity ; (viii) the process of learning involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning; and (ix) while criminal behaviour is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those general needs and values since non-criminal behaviour is also an expression of the same needs and values (Sutherland and Cressey 1955 : 77-79). Therefore, it may be inferred that criminal behaviour may involve satisfaction of needs but may not be caused by them.