Criminality is the result of imitation and learned attitudes in groups that favour law-making

Group attitudes in the workplace often normalised behaviour. Members able to justify their crimes - everyone else is doing it.

Matthews: Juvenile delinquents are more likely to have friends who commit anti-social acts - they learn from peer groups

Not everyone exposed to criminal influences becomes criminal

If a behaviour results in a reward it will be repeated. If it results in an undesirable outcome it will not

Jeffery's differential reinforcement theory (DRT) suggests that crime must therefore have more rewards for criminals than punishments

Theories ignore mental processes such as thinking, attitudes and values

If a behaviour results in a reward it will be repeated. If it results in an undesirable outcome it will not

Jeffery: DRT suggests that crime must therefore have more rewards for criminals than punishments

Much of our behaviour is learned from imitating others (models)

We are more likely to imitate people of higher status than us, and if we see them being rewarded

Bobo doll study Children most likely to imitate violent adult model when they saw them rewarded

Takes account of our social nature - we learn from others' experiences

Bandura's study shows importance of role models in learning deviance

Not all observed behaviour is easily imitated - we may see criminals rewarded but lack the skills to copy

Our ideas of right and wrong develop through a series of levels and stages from childhood to adulthood

Criminals are stuck at a less mature level of moral development and likely to think only of reward and not punishment, not about how their actions will affect others

Cognitive theories have led to the development of CBT as a possible treatment for criminal behaviour

Focuses on moral thinking rather than moral behaviour. Someone may be perfectly capable of thinking morally, while acting immorally

Some studies support delinquents having less mature stage of moral development

Found the theory to be truer for planned crimes such as theft and robbery than impulsive crimes like violence

Criminality is the result of a highly neurotic and highly extroverted personality type

Personality dimensions Extroversion vs introversion (E), Neuroticism vs emotional stability (N), and later added psychoticism (P)

Extroverts Have a nervous system with a high need for stimulation so constantly seek excitement through rule-breaking and impulsive behaviour

Neurotics Are harder to condition into following society's rules because high anxiety levels prevent them from learning from punishment

Psychotics People with high P score tend to be solitary misfits who are more likely to be criminal and may have serious mental illness. E.g schizophrenia