CCJ 4014 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Differential Association, Edwin Sutherland, General Strain Theory

• School: University of Florida
• Department: Criminology & Criminal Justice
• Course: CCJ 4014
• Professor: Marvin Krohn

Document Summary

All criminological theories try to help people gain an understanding about crime. Research in criminology is always progressing and as time goes on, theories become revised because of new data. Due to this constant progression, certain theories are built off of concepts already proposed by others, but some do a better job of expanding upon them and explaining criminological thought more effectively. Association theory and general strain revising traditional strain are great examples that illustrate how this occurs. Definition of concepts, empirical validity, application, testability, scope, and logical consistency are ways to evaluate theories, but scope and definition of concepts are two of the most effective ways to compare the revisions made by social learning and. Differential association theory was proposed by edwin sutherland to explain why differences in social or group crime rates occur. It takes into consideration the contact an individual has to others" definitions favorable to criminal behavior compared to exposure with conforming definitions.