Social Learning Theory and Female Offending

Abstract

Social learning theory is relatively popular and is in part a psychological learning theory which was developed primarily by Ronald Akers. Social learning theory assumes that both deviant and conforming behavior are a result of the learning process that takes place through interactions in various social structures. Social learning takes place through a process of discovering what actions and behaviors are rewarded and what actions or behaviors are punished. While typically, most men lead nonviolent and noncriminal offending lives, we do see higher rates of crime among men than women. At the same time there are some women who were emotionally neglected, humiliated, or abused as children and they are more likely than their nonabused counterparts to learn violence from these social interactions and become violent and possibly criminal themselves. Thus, there is a disproportionate impact on lower class, minority, females than on other women and girls.