Final answer:
Edwin Sutherland's Differential Association theory describes the learning of criminal behavior through social interactions, where delinquent acts are learned from and reinforced by close contacts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The theory of criminology being described is Edwin Sutherland's Differential Association theory. This sociological theory proposes that delinquent behavior is learned via the same psychological process as other behaviors, through social interactions and communications. Sutherland's theory suggests that individuals develop deviant behavior patterns by interacting with others who provide models for such behavior. These interactions include learning the techniques of committing the crime as well as the motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.
This psychological process of learning from the environment includes reinforcement of certain behaviors and the normalization of deviant acts within a person's close social group. Sutherland's theory asserts that if an individual is exposed to more favorable definitions of deviant behavior than unfavorable definitions, they are likely to adopt such behaviors.
Sutherland posited a series of nine propositions to explain the process of learning criminal behavior, emphasizing that criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication, not inherited or a result of general needs and values. Therefore, this sociological perspective views crime as a learned behavior rather than a product of individual pathology and focuses on the significance of relationships in the development of criminality.