Juvenile Delinquency and Differential Association Theory

Abstract

In this research paper, the researcher used a qualitative approach which is data collection in the juvenile delinquency topic, and differential association theory which is the most prominent form of social learning theory. The researcher hypothesized that there is a linkage between having deviant parents and becoming a criminal as well as having deviant friends and becoming a criminal. In this paper, the researcher found that the effect of deviant peer groups and deviant parent during adolescence is quite similar. Both peer groups and parents have an important position in the teenager’s life; the researcher also found that slum neighborhoods, fragile personality, and poverty play critical roles in delinquency.