SSCI 2810U Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: White-Collar Crime, Social Control, Classical Conditioning
Document Summary
Social process theories are micro-sociological: focus at the individual level. Accordingly, we can contrast this with the social structural theories: social process theories are micro-sociological and focus on individual social structure theories focus on macro level variables (structure of society, neighbourhoods, etc. ) Individuals learn behaviour (within the context of crime learn to commit crime through interaction with significant others friends, family, etc. ) Assumption that individuals are a blank slate tabula rasa . Brought by edwin sutherland in the 1930"s. Show how criminal values could be culturally transmitted to individuals from their significant others (peers, family members, etc. ) Nine principles: criminal behaviour is learned. This is significant, the idea that criminal behaviour is learned because at the time that sutherland was writing this was a radical departure from prior theories (lombroso"s theory born criminal, sheldon"s body type, goddard feeblemindedness) Criminal behaviour was a result of social processes, a result of associating with the wrong people, and accordingly, it"s not their fault.