Blackwell Reference Online

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The social learning theory of crime basically argues that some people learn to commit crimes through the same process through which others learn to conform. The theory assumes that people are “blank slates” at birth, having neither a motivation to commit crime nor to conform. The theory then asks two questions. First, at the micro-level, it asks why an individual commits crimes. The answer to this question stresses the process of learning, which involves the interaction between thought or cognition, behavior and environment. Second, at the macro-level, social learning theory asks why some groups have higher crime rates than others. The answer to this question involves the concepts of culture conflict, differential social organization, and social structure. Social learning theory is rooted in the work of the Chicago School theorists of the early twentieth century. At the individual level, social learning theory draws on the idea of symbolic interactionism found in the work of Chicago School theorist W. I. Thomas, Cooley, and Mead. Symbolic interactionism is a social psychological theory that is based on the idea that all human behavior can be understood in terms of the way that individuals communicate through social symbols. People communicate through symbols that are social in origins. These symbols give meaning to the world. Symbolic interactionism then sees human behavior as social ... log in or subscribe to read full text