ABSTRACT
It is inevitable that any theory of crime will be subjected to critique by academic criminologists. Social learning theory developed as a reformulation of Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory. Drawing from symbolic-interactionist perspective, differential association theory proposes that criminal behavior is learned within contexts of social interaction. Social learning theory has undergone some revision itself since initial statement as "differential association-reinforcement theory". In the early years of social learning theory's development, various criticisms were leveled against it for its infusion of behavioral principles into a sociological explanation of a social phenomenon. One criticism was that social learning theory was tautological, a problem that plagued all behavioral theories. Perhaps no other mischaracterization of social learning theory has generated more controversy than the classification of social learning theory as a "cultural deviance" theory. Although social learning has been and continues to be among the leading theories receiving prominent attention in the field, it has also been challenged by critics over the years.
