SOC 2106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Edwin Sutherland, White-Collar Crime, Differential Association

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2106
• Professor: Sarah Rodimon

Document Summary

Deviance & conformity are learned through interactions with others. Coined by edwin sutherland - pioneer of criminology. Coined the term of white collar crime (crime committed by upper middle class individuals - fraud, embezzlement) We learn it from intimate groups - seeing them everyday, living with them; family, friends, peers. Intimate groups play a key role in learning process. Learning process includes: a. b. techniques (the how to engage in deviance - skills) motives, drives, rationalizations, attitudes ( the why ) Direction of the why (motives, drives) is learned from exposure to definitions of deviance as favorable or unfavorable. Statements, attitudes, or beliefs that are favourable or unfavourable. We learn it through the same way as conformity. An excess of definitions favorable to deviance increases likelihood of ones participation in deviance and crime. Differential associations vary in terms of frequency, duration, priority and intensity. Based on the conditions and circumstances around the individual.