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Differential Association Theory 1

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Business Law
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Differential Association theory contends that the behaviors that a person demonstrates
that are shaped and influenced by the people surrounding him or her (Akers, p.13). The basic
point of reference could be the nuclear family, where the person grows up and lives with. It is
trusted that these connections develop the how a person comprehends societal values and norms.
Differential association theory can be used to explain the crime in the first scenario. This
is because the behaviors demonstrated by the 13 year old girl have been influenced by the mother
who had instructed her to hide several steaks and other food items inside her jacket. However,
the second scenario cannot be explained by the differential association theory.
Additionally, the crime in the first scenario can be explained by Social Learning Theory.
According to this theory, individuals learn from each other through imitation, observation, and
modelling (Akers, p.23).
On the other hand, these two theories are not adequate to explain the prom dress theft.
This because we are not informed that the girl learned the unaccepted behavior from her parents
or her friends at school.
Lastly, these theories explain serious violent offense, such as school shooting incident.
This is because, the two theories posit that in the event that a person is able to learn what the

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society accepts, he or she can also learn what the society considers as unacceptable and engage
in it.

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Surname 1 Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Date Differential Association theory contends that the behaviors that a person demonstrates that are shaped and influenced by the people surrounding him or her (Akers, p.13). The basic point of reference could be the nuclear family, where the person grows up and lives with. It is trusted that these connections develop the how a person comprehends societal values and norms. Differential association theory can be used to explain the crime in the first scenario. This is because the behaviors demonstrated by the 13 year old girl have been influenced by the mother who had instructed her to hide several steaks and other food items inside her jacket. However, the second scenario cannot be explained by the differential association theory. Additionally, the crime in the first scenario can be explained by Social Learning Theory. According to t ...
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