Report: Analyzing Teenage Crime Through Two Criminology Theories

This report delves into the multifaceted issue of teenage crime, providing an in-depth analysis of its causes and contributing factors. The report begins by defining teenage crime and emphasizing the critical developmental stage of adolescence, highlighting the significant impact of physical and hormonal changes on behavior and psychology. It then proceeds to examine two key criminological theories: Differential Association Theory, proposed by Edwin Sutherland, which posits that criminal behavior is learned through social interactions; and Merton's Strain Theory, which suggests that societal pressures and unmet expectations can lead to deviance. The report compares and contrasts these theories, providing relevant evidence to explain teenage crime through psychological and social lenses. It also explores the similarities and differences between the two theories in relation to teenage crime, discussing factors such as environmental influences, family upbringing, and the impact of social structures. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing the significance of these theories in understanding and addressing teenage crime. The report uses several references to support the analysis.

TEENAGE CRIME
The written Report
MAY 2019

ABSTRACT
The main object of this report is to explore, define and to analyse the teenage crimes.
This assignment aids to identify the enhancement in the rate of committing crime in teenagers.
Therefore, the present report highlighted the teenage crimes with help of these two theory
enhancement in criminal crimed can be identified. In criminology, theories plays crucial role in
terms to understanding the motivation, assets, behaviour and action of criminals. Hence, these
theories serve as guidelines in order to detect.
Thus, it can be said that Differential association and Strain theory plays crucial role in the
field of criminology. It mainly aims to determine totality and social development of the criminal
ideation in a person. Furthermore, these mentioned theories are crucial for authorities to
understand the several aspects of crime in teenagers.

INTRODUCTION:
The individuals in the age group 13 to 19 years are known as teenagers. This age duration
is very critical and important in the growth and development of an individual. The physical and
hormonal changes taking place in this phase of life can have significant impact on the
psychology, behaviour and actions of individuals. Hence, it is very essential that these changes
must be monitored and understand so that teenagers can be provided proper guidance for the life
and forward career path (Krohn & et.al., 2016). In this age most of the individuals are attracted
or forced to commit crime or to involve in illegal activities in the influence of friends, family or
society.
Such teenage crimes have long termed and devastating impacts on the quality of life.
Thus, to understand the behaviour which encourages teenage crime various sociology and
psychology theories are used. In this study two theories namely strain theory and differential
association theory are discussed and compared. It will provide the relevant evidences which
explains the teenage crimes through psychological and social theories.
Differential association theory
In order to describe the criminal psychology differential association theory was proposed
by Edwin Sutherland. As per this theory the criminal behaviour is encouraged and influenced by
the social interaction of individuals. This interaction affects the psychology, beliefs, assumption
and values and thus people can be easily motivated for crime actions. This psychological impact
becomes more dominant in teenage. In this growth phase individuals try to explore the world
from their own perspective. Thus, when they make social relations and analyse the behaviour or
actions of others then they themselves create an opinion and mindset for it.
The theory also states that the frequency, priority and duration of the interaction can also
encourage criminal behaviour. For instance in teenage individuals are highly excited to make
friends and social relations. Thus, they often interact with other without making ethical
judgements. As a consequence they tend to adopt and follow the same behaviour as followed by
their families or companions (Walters, 2015). It has been also analysed by this theory that the
teenage crimes can be reduced when the teenagers pay appropriate attention to the peer groups
they are choosing. The parents and mentors must provide guidance to teenagers that how they
can improve the quality of their peer groups.
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The nature of peer groups and social interactions are very critical in motivating teenagers.
For instance when teenagers interact with the criminals or the other criminals involved in crime
activity then they observe and learn the methods to establish dominance through criminal
activities. It establishes a mentality among them that it is good and acceptable to follow the
unethical practices. Thus, the criminal psychology can be encouraged or diminished by
improving the quality of social interactions.
Merton's Strain theory:
This sociology theory was developed by Robert Merton and is one of the fundamental
theory to describe the deviance. According to this theory the socially accepted goals creates huge
pressure and burden on individuals. When these goals and expectations are not meet then
individuals suffer from economic as well as social crisis and situations. It creates the deviation of
the individuals from the predefined moral values and ethical principles. In the teenage people
experiences lot of emotional changes. Thus, they tend to develop huge expectations from their
family and friends. When these expectations and needs are not satisfied they deviate from the
ethical ways and get engaged in the crime.
The crime in such situations can also be the result of minute aggression and frustration. In
the teenage individuals become very sensitive they tend to take every issue on very serious note.
Thus, when they feel that social assumptions are against their needs and desires they develop
strong feeling of opposing. In this aggressive opposition many times they commit crime and
have full faith that their actions are justified (Peck & et.al., 2018). However, there are many
teenagers who later realises that under the influence of social pressure or the expectations they
committed took wrong step.
With the teenage people also begin to understand the social concepts and expectations.
Thus, individuals who have better ability to cope up with such goals conform such goals and try
to adopt means like innovations and ritualism. Contrary to this the individuals who fails or who
does seems these goals achievable either try to escape from them or commit crime or illegal
actions so that they can avoid the necessity of achieving such goals.
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Similarities of Differential association and Merton stran theory in relation to teenager and crime.
Differential association theory is developed by the Edwin sutherland. It is crime
predictive theory as this allows to individual to have differential access to criminal values
through interaction with other people (Garbarino, 2018). It is theory that have reduction to the
notion that people becomes criminals because they linked with adsorbed pro-criminal definitions.
Therefore, differential association has attracted more attention over longer period than other
criminological theory. Therefore, this can be stated that this theory is mainly associated with the
number of the factors as changing community, the enviornment and family upbringing (Baddeley
& et.al., 2019).
Likewise, Merton Strain theory is a criminology theory that is developed by the Robert
K. Merton. This theory suggests the key motivational in terms to the delinquency and
misconduct is strain. It leads to adaptions of crime, delinquency and other kind of deviant
behaviour (Umair, 2018). For example- Teenagers desires to have money so that they can buy
nice cloths, CD's and movies. Hence, the similarities between both of the theory is that these are
significant in terms to enhance Teenage crime. Therefore, both theory results of negative
impregnation of environmental pressure that lead to the client vulnerable to breakdown.
Difference between Differential association and Merton stran theory in relation to teenager and
crime.
Differential theory stated the intrinsic characteristic of a person that influenced by the
individual environment and molding assists. Therefore, criminal behaviour is primarily as it
influence those individual who linked with same act of criminal acts. It is the theory that enhance
the crime rates within teenagers because it causes negative thoughts, lack of attachments,
commitments and inappropriate guidance (Criminology Theories-Differential Association and
Strain Theory Essay, 2019.).
On the other hand, Strain theory causes to the crime not directly but due to failure of
tolerance the stimulation. It is the theory suggest that person act in the manner of delinquency
not due to attachments and relationship but due to the pressuring strain (Ghazali & Ghani,
2018). It is the theory leads to get engage in terms to get engage in low violating behaviour. This
is theory that relates with the factors that drives to commit to crime. In addition to it, this can be
stated that social structures can pressure citizen to commit crimes. Therefore, this theory mainly
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affect the individual perceives and needs. Henceforth, rate of crimes in this theory enhanced
criminal persona in which the financial depression or extreme difficulties are present. This theory
leads to get engage with crime in which person is ready to kill just another person in order to get
the material possession.
CONCLUSION
The above report has summarized that Teenage crime defined as to have participation in
unlawful behaviour. It can be range from status offense, to property crime and violent crimes.
The present report has covered the topic of teenage crime. In this, two theory has defined as
Differential association and Merton strain theory to enhance the crime rates of teenagers.
However, the significance of this both theory in criminology is substantial and even estimated
estimate analysis of the individual criminal behaviour.
Hence, this both theory has reflected that rise in crime rate are due to instilled negative
thoughts, lack of attachment, commitment and inappropriate guidance. However, the main theory
highlighted in this assignment are differential association theory and strain theory. Therefore, the
main purpose was to highlight the theories that can be explained and scrutinized in order to come
up with the critical analysis of the taken theories. Hence, the definition of the teenage
criminology can be useful to categorize the theories.
.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Baddeley, A., & et.al., (2019). The problem of detecting long-term forgetting: Evidence from
the Crimes Test and the Four Doors Test. Cortex, 110, 69-79.
Garbarino, J. (2018). Miller's Children: Why Giving Teenage Killers a Second Chance Matters
for All of Us. Univ of California Press.
Ghazali, S., & Ghani, N. M. (2018). Perception of Female Students towards Social Media-
Related Crimes. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 26(2).
Krohn, M.D. & et.al., (2016). Explaining adolescent drug use in adjacent generations: Testing
the generality of theoretical explanations. Journal of drug issues, 46(4), pp.373-395.
Peck, J.H. & et.al., (2018). General strain theory, depression, and substance use: Results from a
nationally representative, longitudinal sample of White, African-American, and Hispanic
adolescents and young adults. Journal of Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse, 27(1),
pp.11-28.
Umair, M. (2018). An Overview of Crimes against Women and Children in Pakistan. Journal of
Public Policy and Administration, 2(4), 61.
Walters, G.D., (2015). Proactive criminal thinking and the transmission of differential
association: A cross-lagged multi-wave path analysis. Criminal justice and
behavior, 42(11), pp.1128-1144.
Online
Criminology Theories-Differential Association and Strain Theory Essay. 2019. [Online]
Available through : <https://studymoose.com/criminology-theories-differential-
association-and-strain-theory-essay>
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