Definition
Differential association is a crime predictive theory. It can be defined as a process by which individuals come to have differential access to criminal values through interaction with other people. The theory holds that, criminal behavior is learned in the same way that law-abiding values are learned, and that, this learning activity is accomplished, in interactions with others, and the situational definitions we place on the values. The theory can be reduced to the notion that, people become criminals because they associated with, and absorbed pro-criminal definitions. Differential association has attracted more attention, over a longer period of time, than any other criminological theory. According to some scholars, no single idea in modern criminology has had impact on how people reflect on crime as has differential association. In the words of Cressey (1952), differential...
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Antwi Bosiakoh, T. (2012). Differential Association Theory. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1869
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