Differential Association: Learning Law Violation

The question asks to identify the criminological principle that explains delinquency as a result of learning and internalizing more definitions that support breaking the law than definitions that uphold the law. This core idea is central to Edwin Sutherland's theory.

Understanding Differential Association Theory

Differential Association theory proposes that criminal behavior is learned through social interaction, specifically through communication with others. Key aspects include:

• Learning Process: Delinquency or criminal behavior is learned, not inherited. It happens through interaction with others, often within intimate personal groups.
• Content of Learning: What is learned includes techniques for committing crimes (like how to pick a lock) and, more importantly, the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes.
• Excess of Definitions: This is the crucial point mentioned in the question. A person becomes delinquent because they have learned an excess of definitions favourable to violation of law over definitions unfavourable to violation of law. This means the person encounters and adopts more reasons, justifications, and attitudes supporting law-breaking than those supporting law-abiding behavior.
• Associations Vary: The associations that are differential can vary in frequency, duration, priority (early in life), and intensity (importance of the association).

Essentially, if a person's social environment consistently presents law-breaking in a positive or acceptable light (favourable definitions) more often than it presents law-abiding behavior (unfavourable definitions), they are more likely to adopt those pro-criminal attitudes and become delinquent.

Analyzing Other Options

Let's look at why the other options don't fit the description:

• Principle of Re-integrative Shaming: This theory focuses on how societal reactions (shaming) after offending can either reintegrate the individual back into society (reducing future crime) or stigmatize them (potentially increasing crime). It doesn't focus on the initial learning of definitions favouring law violation.
• Principle of Differential Opportunity: Developed by Cloward and Ohlin, this theory suggests that individuals commit crimes because they have access to illegitimate opportunities (ways to succeed through crime) in addition to or instead of legitimate ones. While related to social learning, it emphasizes opportunity structures more than the specific learning of definitions.
• Principle of Differential Reinforcement: This is a behavioral theory (often associated with Akers) that builds on social learning. It posits that criminal behavior is learned and reinforced (positively or negatively) based on the consequences that follow the behavior. While it involves learning, the core principle from the question aligns more precisely with Sutherland's focus on the *definitions* learned.

Therefore, the principle that directly addresses becoming delinquent due to learning an "excess of definitions favourable to violation of law" is Differential Association.