Social

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES

The sociological theory and psychological principles related to criminality are entwined and are
not independent, technically. Besides the psychological theories, there are many other
sociological interpretations related with the control and cause of criminality. These theories
emphasize factors that affect many criminals in common. American criminologists attribute
criminality to the social conditions of the criminal. Crime causation depends considerably on
social interactions. At times persons violate the provisions of law knowing fully well that they
will have to face penal consequences for their acts. There are three important sociological
theories: strain, social learning, and control theories.

Social Strain Typology

 It was given by Robert K. Merton which was based on two things. First, a person’s desire to
achieve social and cultural goals; secondly, their belief that they can achieve those goals. Merton
said, “there are five types of deviance based upon these criteria: conformity, innovation,
ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. 

Robert K. Merton explains the collapsing of social conditions brought by severe economic
conditions is responsible for criminal behaviour. He rejects the notion that crime is an intrinsic
and individual behaviour. He looks beyond the immediate personal environment of the criminals
to the broader context of Social Structure and Anomie for explanation of criminal behaviour.
Merton borrowed the term anomie from Emile Durkheim a French sociologist. Anomie is a
condition which exists when norms no longer control people’s behaviour, when people no longer
have clear rules. When normlessness exists then controls on behaviour and aspirations cease to
exist.1

1
Robert Agnew, Heather Scheuerman, Strain Theories, Oxford Bibliographies
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195396607/obo-9780195396607-0005.xml
Merton maintained that anomie is especially likely to exist in a society where there is unequal
opportunity and an emphasis on material success; and he claimed that it can explain a broad
range of socially deviant behaviour. Merton explains that society establishes institutionalized
goals – usually understood to be financial success which society emphasizes and reinforces.
When such goals are over emphasized and highly praised but the means to achieve them are
unavailable to a considerable part of that population then anomie is likely i.e. when success is
blocked. The individuals experience strain and show two kinds of reactions, either they must
adjust their aspirations downward or devise alternative routes to achieve goals.

Sutherland-Differntial Association Theory

Edwin Sutherland is considered as one of the most influential criminologists of the 20th
century. He was a sociologist of the symbolic interactionist school of thought and is best known
for his differential association theory-a general theory of crime and delinquency. The theory
proposes that through interaction with others, individuals learn the values, attitudes, techniques,
and motives for criminal behaviour. This theory focuses on how individuals learn to become
criminals, but it does not concern itself with why they become criminals.Differential association
predicts that an individual will choose the criminal path when the balance of definitions for law-
breaking exceeds those for law-abiding. This tendency will be reinforced if social association
provides active people in the person’s life.