This paper aims to analyze some of the most popular criticisms and supportive research of Edwin Sutherland’s theory of differential association to determine its strengths and weaknesses. By doing so, I will conclude that although Sutherland’s theory has m
This paper aims to analyze some of the most popular criticisms and supportive research of Edwin Sutherland’s theory of differential association to determine its strengths and weaknesses. By doing so, I will conclude that although Sutherland’s theory has many flaws, its core premise supplies the basis for our theoretical understanding of learned criminal behavior.