Is Deviance Learned?

DEVIANCE

This theory holds that deviance is learned in much the same way that lawful or conforming behaviors are learned. According to the theory, each person is surrounded by people, definitions, norms, and behavior patterns that differ in that some are favorable to law violation while others are not.

These mechanisms include differential reinforcement, classical conditioning, discriminative stimuli, and schedules of reinforcement. Differential reinforcement refers to how the behavior of a person is shaped by positive and negative consequences. Classical conditioning refers to the conditioning of a reflex behavior. The widely known dog experiment by Pavlov is the best example of this. Discriminative stimuli refers to the environmental and internal stimuli that provide a cue for a behavior. The schedules of reinforcement are the rate and ratio that positive and negative consequences follow a behavior 

Differential association, differential association is a theory developed by Edwin Sutherland proposing that through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behavior.

Definitions. Definitions can best be understood as one’s attitudes and beliefs that affect one’s behavior

Differential reinforcement. Differential reinforcement can best be thought of as the mental calculus of the pros and cons that result from a particular behavior and imitation.

For example, John Doe was brought up in a wealthy middle class community where his close peers participate in the recreational use of illicit substances. John believes that the law is wrong in prohibiting these substances. John is with his friends who partake in the substance and offer John some. We can predict that John will use the substance offered by his friends based on his own beliefs about the substance and the influence of his peers.

For example a person may steal food because they are hungry and haveno money with which to buy any. The...