Question

The idea that individuals learn to be deviant by interacting with others who are already deviant is called:

a. conflict theory.
b. self-fulfilling prophecy.
c. differential association theory.
d. labeling theory.

Answer 1

The answer is "c. differential association theory".


Differential association is a theory created by Edwin Sutherland suggesting that through association with others, people take in the qualities, states of mind, methods, and thought processes in criminal conduct. The differential association theory is the most discussed of the learning speculations of deviance.