Introduction
When reflecting on crime, one of the critical aspects that psychologists and psychiatrists consider is the effects that criminology theories have towards explaining the possibility and occurrence of crime. These theories work towards projecting some of the possible factors that contribute or promote criminal behaviors among individuals with the focus being on trying to find viable solutions to such actions. Two critical theories that have been discussed extensively in trying to explain crime are differential association and strain theories both of which work towards highlighting key aspects that determine the possibility of corruption. When focusing on the differential association theory, the critical element to note is that crime is considered as a learned behavior whereby people tend to learn different aspects of offense from their immediate environments. The theory seeks to examine the impact that the social context may have towards projecting the possibility of criminal behaviors.
On the other hand, the strain theory arises from the possibility of a conflict between the goals that people may have and the legal means that they may be exposed to as part of ensuring that they reach their goals. The theory indicates that lack of a legal structure allowing people to achieve some of their set out social goals acts as one of the critical factors that contribute to the overall formation of crime. Personally, I believe that both the differential association and strain theories present principles of offense that cannot be ignored when examining the factors contributing to the occurrence of crime. I have reviewed each of the arguments thoroughly and found a consistent reflection of crime from a sociological perspective, which I will discuss in this report focusing on an article that seeks to examine these theories.
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Reflection on Author’s Perspectives
In the article, the author focuses on explaining several theories that link criminology with community conditions and individual process in the society. The search for macro and micro linkages between involving criminal behaviors in an individual creates a distinguished history that helps in explaining the aspect of engagement in criminal acts. According to Hoffmann (2003), analysis of the history of criminology in an individual indicates the effects of social disorganization behavior on both an individual and communal level. Social aspects of a person's life contribute to the development of character thus helps in shaping their behavior regarding their engagement in criminal activities. The author maintains that opportunity and strains are among the primary experiences that assist in creating social disorganization, which is an aspect that defines the underlying factors that lead to the engagement in criminal activities at an individual level.
Hoffmann (2003) argues that differential association and differential social organization are the key aspects that help explaining an individual behavior based on opportunities and strains presented in their lives. In this case, the author mentions that issues relating to social disorganization have influenced an individual's behavior indirectly through the creation of micro relations and conditions that are critical in affecting individual's behavior on engaging in delinquent and criminal acts. The socially disorganized communities have trouble in having the ability to control the actions of individual thus leading to the engagement in criminal behaviors as part of alienating with the social control processes. The resurgence of social disorganization theory in the society capitalized on describing micro linkages that explain the importance of elaborating on conflict and control process in the development of criminal behaviors on an individual’s life (Hoffmann, 2003). The author points out that social disorganization is a critical factor that attempts to describe differential association and strain theories and their impact on the development of delinquent and criminal behaviors.
Strain Theory
According to Hoffmann (2003), the strain theory has both micro and micro roots in defining an individual's behavior that defines their engagement in criminology. The author maintains that lack of proper opportunity structures in an individual's life is the critical factor that contributes to the participation in criminal behaviors in a bid to achieve personal goals and objectives. The author maintains that lack of a platform to achieve goals leads to strains such as monetary issues, which influences an individual to engage in criminal activities in a bid to meet such needs. Strain theory maintains that personal anxieties have a structural component that affects an individual leading to defiant behaviors. According to the author, the strains associated with pursuing individual and communal goals and objectives within different opportunity structures create pressure that is inflicted on an individual leading to the adaptation of specific behaviors such as crime.
Although the aspect of strain theory seeks to explain the how individual elements regarding the achievement of personal goals leads to the adoption of criminal behaviors, the author maintains that there social and communal constraints that also points to the development of delinquent and criminal acts. In cases where there are higher social goals defined in the society, people tend to experiences specific pressures due to lack of a proper avenue and opportunities to the goals thus the engaging in the criminal activities to overcome the given constraints. According to the author, there are different sources of strains in the society such as family, a school that may influence the engagement in crime thus leading to an instance where individual become strained in disorganized communities thus increasing an individual's urge to engage in misconduct.
Differential Association/Social Learning Theory
On the other hand, Hoffmann (2003) reflects on the differential association/social learning theory from the perspective that every individual tends to have the capacity and ability to learn from his or her social environment. One of the critical aspects that the author points out is that criminal associations act as a crucial determinant of the differentiated crime rates considering that people tend to find themselves exposed to crime from different perspective. That means that every individual tends to have a differentiated level of association, which would act as a critical determinant of how his or her social environment would influence one. Hoffmann (2003) expounds on the fact that people tend to have a high possibility of learning from their social environment taking into consideration that human beings are social beings.
Alternatively, the article reinforces the understanding that human indeed exposure to an environment that supports or promotes criminal behaviors may have different outcomes especially in developing or projecting how one builds his perception. Hoffmann (2003) focuses on this theory from a predisposed position in which people tend to rely on their understanding of their social environments, which brings to floor the overall structure of crime as a determinant of criminal behaviors. That means that people tend to have a high possibility of engaging in crime depending on their social engagements, which seek to build on the overall potential that people must be willing to learn from their immediate environments.
Personal Opinion
Personally, I believe in the fact that usage of the differential association and strain theories may act as one of the fundamental principles that would be of value towards explaining the possibility and occurrence of crime. In my analysis of the arguments, one of the critical factors that I was able to take note of is the fact that indeed crime may be described from a sociological perspective, which may be projected from the two theories. From that perspective, it would be essential for me to reflect on some of the general opinions that I may have about the overall possibility of criminal behaviors as a way of trying to examine why people engage in crime.
Crime is a Learned Behavior
From a personal perspective, I tend to believe in the fact that indeed offense is a learned behavior taking into account that people tend to find themselves exposed to a vast array of environments that allow them to learn. Human beings are considered as social beings thinking that they have the capability of learning effectively from their immediate social situations, which acts as a determinant of the behaviors that people may project. From that perspective, I hold the view that the differential association theory may be of value in trying to explain the possibility of crime, as it reflects on the overall probability of experiencing some form of influence from the immediate social environment. One of the critical factors that I found as being very interesting from this theory is that it seeks to disown the position that criminal behaviors can be inherited.
In my position, I also believe in the fact that criminal behaviors cannot be inherited or passed on from one generation to the other, as these are personal behaviors that can be described using one's personality. Alternatively, the view of crime is a learned behavior is stretched from the fact that people exposed to high crime environments tend to find it much more comfortable when engaging criminal behaviors. That means that people tend to learn from their immediate backgrounds, which would support and solidify the practices that would act as a determinant of their personalities. In my view, this means that people living in environments that do not exhibit crime tend to experience significant difficulties when intending to engage in misconduct as part of their behaviors.
Everyone has the potential of crime
Another critical opinion that I hold reflects on the fact that indeed everyone has a very high potential for corruption due to two key factors, which act as a crucial determinant of whether one projects such behaviors. The first factor that I believe would determine one’s engagement in crime is the social environment that one is exposed to focusing on whether this environment helps bring about some form of social justice. For example, when people are exposed to social issues such as discrimination, the possibility of crime increases significantly considering that these people engage in such behaviors as part of meeting some of their social goals. Thus, this means that the social environment tends to have a significant impact on the way people project or reflect on their understanding of crime.
The factor seeks to expose the position that people are not born with criminal behaviors but can exhibit such behaviors when exposed to increased social injustices. In most cases, this acts as one of the critical factors that contribute to people's engagement in crime as a way of building some form of understanding on what determines criminal behaviors. The second key factor that I consider as being essential in projecting one's potential for crime is the ability for one to meet his or her set out social goals. Based on my personal experience, I can say that people tend to have a wide array of social goals and objectives, which seek to determine how people behave in a bid to deciding their efforts to meet such goals. An example of a goal that one may have is on gaining wealth or having to live a ‘big' or ‘flashy' lifestyle. The challenge contributing to crime revolves around finding a balance between current status and ability to meet such goals. Ultimately, this would mean that people may find themselves in a much higher position allowing them to engage in crime.
Crime is an expression of needs and values
On the other hand, I also hold the view that offense may act as a clear indication or appearance of the social needs and values, which may help the relevant departments involved in fighting crime to reflect on specific needs. In my analysis of both the differential association and strain theories, I noted that one of the critical factors indicated to have contributed to crime is lack of specific needs within the society or community.
That is evident in the United States today where some of the minority communities tend to express their issues through engagement in crime, which seeks to reflect on the reason why most of the criminals may be from such societies. The critical aspect to note is that indeed communities tend to have a wide array of needs, which relevant authorities may fail to provide or meet as part of their social obligation. In the example of the minority communities in the United States, one of the key aspects to note is that most of these people find themselves exposed to harsh living environments due to inadequate housing and lack of employment. Thus, these act as critical factors that contribute to these people engaging in crime taking into account that the people tend to find themselves experiencing significant challenges in their expression of needs. Ultimately, this brings to floor the need for having to build positive social environments that would work towards ensuring that these needs are met.
How Article Supports My Opinion
When comparing my personal views to the views presented by Hoffmann (2003), it is clear that the article may support my opinion in several ways, which are essential in explaining whether my ideas are accurate. Some of the key aspects that I believe may be supported by the article include:
Social Learning
Hoffmann (2003) reflects on the position that the differential asocial theory may explain crime from the fact that people within structural units tend to be differentially exposed. That means that people tend to find themselves exposed to differentiated social environments, which would act as a critical determinant of whether people develop what would be considered as criminal behavior. In other words, the article reflects on the fact that illegal actions are determined wholly by one's social environment, as this determines what people learn from their backgrounds.
The view presented by the author supports my opinion on the position that crime is a learned behavior, which is one of the critical opinions that I have listed in the previous section. The article builds on the differential association theory with the focus being on trying to establish that social front from which to explain the overall possibilities of crime within a given social environment. The article extends my opinion indicating that people tend to have what would be described as individual-level learning structures that seek to build or promote that overall avenue from which to reflect on what people learn from their immediate environments. That means that people tend to have a high capacity and capability of learning from their immediate environment, which would act as a critical influence on one's behaviors.
Pursuing Social Goals
Hoffmann (2003) also reflects on the strain theory as part of determining the possibility of crime from the perspective that people tend to engage in misconduct as a way of pursuing some of the social goals that they have set out for themselves. That means that people’s engagement in pursuing their personal goals projects them to towards engaging in crime taking into account the fact that some of these people find it challenging to meet some of their social goals. In my opinion, I indicated that corruption acts as an expression of social needs and values where I noted that people engage in crime due to some form of lack regarding social needs.
In that same way, the article stretches the argument indicating that the conflict arising from people's desire or goals and the legal forms associated with meeting such goals creates an avenue for the occurrence of crime. This reflects on the position that people tend to engage in misconduct as part of ensuring that they meet some of their set out social goals. In such cases, these criminal behaviors arise from the position that people find themselves exposed to environments where the set out legal structures allowing them to meet some of their goals tend to fail in one way or the other. That can be seen from the examples I have presented, in the previous sections, which helped towards explaining how the strain theory may help explain or reflect on criminal behaviors. Hoffmann (2003) indicates the strain theory from the perspective of youths living in disorganized communities that do not provide them with a leeway from which to meet some of their set out social needs.
Conclusion
In summary, criminology theories have played a key role in explaining some of the critical factors that contribute to a high possibility of engaging in crime. Two fundamental approaches that have been discussed in this report are the differential association and strain theories. In the article selected for this report, the author focuses much attention on trying to understand how these two theories can help in defining delinquency. Based on the information presented, it is clear that the differential association and strain theories work towards projecting different perspectives on the possibilities of criminal behaviors. In my personal opinion, I tend to help the views that crime is a learned behavior, everyone has the potential of crime, and crime is an expression of needs and values. My observations have been supported by the article with the focus being on trying to examine the overall structure of social factors that contribute to the possibility of developing criminal behaviors.
References
Hoffmann, J. P. (2003). A contextual analysis of differential association, social control, and strain theories of delinquency. Social Forces , 81 (3), 753-785.
