In his theory of differential association, Edwin Sutherland proposes that criminal behavior is learned. A person will become delinquent if there are prior attitudes that favor law breaking, as opposed to attitudes that evaluate law breaking negatively. Main proponent Edwin H. Sutherland Theory Edwin Sutherland’s theory of differential association posits
Theories of Crime
Subcultural theory (Cohen)
Cohen’s subcultural theory assumes that crime is a consequence of the union of young people into so-called subcultures in which deviant values and moral concepts dominate. Subcultural theory became the dominant theory of its time. Main proponent Albert K. Cohen Theory Cohen’s basic assumption is that most juvenile criminals are
Edgework (Lyng)
Edgework is a socio-psychological concept that understands voluntary risk taking as a temporary escape from social boundaries and the search for mental and/or physical borderline experiences. Main proponent Stephen Lyng Theory Edgework is not a crime theory in the strict sense of the word. Rather, it is a concept of
Cultural Criminology
Cultural criminology is not a crime theory in the narrower sense. Rather, it is a theoretical current that has emerged in the English-speaking world and, based on cultural studies and critical theories of criminality, understands deviance and phenomena of crime control as an interactionist, symbol-mediated process and analyses them with
Seductions of Crime (Katz)
The central thesis of Seductions of Crime is that situation-specific emotional and sensual sensations play an important role in the commission of crime. It is not a complete theoretical construct, but rather the sensual experiences and emotional states of the perpetrator that are brought to bear in various forms of
General Theory of Crime (Gottfredson & Hirschi)
The General Theory of Crime explains, like other control theories, the absence and not the emergence of crime. This leads them back to self-control. If an individual has little self-control, and has the opportunity to commit crime, criminal behavior becomes more likely. Since the opportunities for crime are widespread, lack
