Question

Which of the following is inconsistent with Sutherlands Differential Association Theory?

•"People who play "Grand Theft Auto™ are likely to engage in car jacking.
•Those who hang out with criminals are likely to engage in criminal behavior.
•"When parents set loose boundaries between right and wrong, their children are likely to act out in deviant ways."
•"Deviance is learned behavior, reinforced by actual social relationships."

Answer 1

According to Sutherland's Differential Association Theory, deviance is learned behavior, reinforced by actual social relationships. Individuals encounter many inharmonious and inconsistent social influences in their lifetime and many individuals become involved in contacts with carriers of criminalistic norms and as a consequence become criminals. He called this process differential association.

Therefore, the statement "When parents set loose boundaries between right and wrong, their children are likely to act out in deviant ways" is inconsistent with Sutherland's Differential Association Theory.