Social Learning Theory (Akers)
Definition
The reformulation of differential association in behavioural terms by Ronald Akers and Robert Burgess (1966). It integrates differential association, definitions, differential reinforcement, and imitation into a single explanatory framework for criminal and deviant behaviour.
- Authors
- Ronald Akers, Robert Burgess
- Year
- 1966
- Base theory reformulated
- Differential association (Sutherland)
- Core elements
- Differential association, definitions, differential reinforcement, imitation
Common questions
What did Akers and Burgess add that Sutherland's original theory lacked?+
Sutherland's differential association explained how criminal attitudes and techniques are transmitted through social contact but did not specify the psychological mechanism. Akers and Burgess reformulated it using behavioural learning principles, adding reinforcement and imitation to explain how those transmitted definitions actually translate into behaviour.
What does 'differential reinforcement' mean in this theory?+
It refers to the balance of rewards and punishments a person has experienced or anticipates for a given behaviour. If the perceived rewards of an act, material or social, outweigh the perceived costs, the behaviour is more likely to be repeated, whether that behaviour is conforming or criminal.
Is social learning theory (Akers) applicable beyond criminal behaviour?+
Yes. Because it is grounded in general behavioural learning principles rather than anything specific to crime, the same framework has been applied to a range of deviant and conforming behaviours, not exclusively criminal offending.
Related terms
- Definitions (Social Learning)
- Attitudes or rationalisations that frame a behaviour as acceptable, justified, or necessary. In Akers's model, a high ratio of favourable-to-unfavourable definitions toward...
- Differential Association
- Sutherland's concept that criminal behaviour results from an excess of associations with pro-criminal definitions over anti-criminal definitions. The learning depends on the...
- Differential Reinforcement
- The balance of rewards and punishments, anticipated or actual, that follow a behaviour. If the expected rewards outweigh expected costs, the behaviour...
- Imitation
- Modelling one's behaviour on observed actions of others, especially admired or high-status individuals. Akers added imitation to Sutherland's original framework, explaining initial...
- Pro-Criminal Definitions
- Attitudes, values, or verbal rationalisations that make law-breaking seem acceptable or desirable. Examples include neutralisation techniques (denying the victim, appealing to higher...