Social Learning Theory and the Explanation of Crime A Guide for the New Century

Social learning theory has recently been called perhaps the dominant theory of crime and delinquency in the United States. Yet the theory is often misrepresented. Some equate it with differential association theory. Others depict it as little more than a micro-level appendage to cultural deviance theories. There have been earlier attempts to clarify the theory's unique features in comparison to other theories, and others have applied it to broader issues. These efforts are extended in this volume, which focuses on developing, applying, and testing the theory on a variety of criminal and delinquent behaviors.Chapter 1, "Macro-Micro Transitions in Criminological Theory: Taking Social Learning Global, " addresses these transitions, linking social learning with macro-level, ecological or global theories. Chapters 2 and 3, "Substance Use by Korean Adolescents" and "Explaining Delinquency in Taiwan, " discusses the application of social learning theory to delinquency in other cultures. Chapter 4, "Social Learning and Binge Drinking among Universities, " explores the learning processes relevant to differences among universities in levels of student binge drinking. Chapter 5, "Delinquency and Depression: A Role-Taking and Social Learning Perspective, " chapter 6, "A Social Learning Theory of Courtship Violence: An Empirical Test, " and chapter 7, "Who's It Gonna Be -- You or Me? The Potential of Social Learning Theory to Expand the Explanatory Power of the Integrated Homicide-Suicide Theory, " explain gender variations in types of deviance. Chapter 8, "Development of Antisocial Behavior Across the Life-Span from a Social Interactionist Perspective: The Coercion Model, " links micro-level learningprocesses to structured variations across the life-span. It explains the relative dominance of different types of learning mechanisms (negative vs. positive reinforcement) at different stages of development. Chapter 9,Akers, Ronald L. is the author of 'Social Learning Theory and the Explanation of Crime A Guide for the New Century' with ISBN 9780765801333 and ISBN 0765801337.