Criminal behavior is learned through social association rather than being an inherent trait
Differential association theory argues that criminal behavior is not an innate personality trait but a learned skill acquired through social interactions and peer definitions.
Criminologist Edwin Sutherland proposed that individuals become delinquent when they are exposed to an 'excess of definitions favorable to violation of law.' This theory suggests that crime is a learned behavior, much like any other trade, involving the mastery of specific techniques, motives, and rationalizations within a social group.
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