ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how biography and theoretical context intersected to foster the development of Sutherland's classic differential association perspective. A number of incidents helped me progress beyond this stage of mental disorganization, and led to the development of the theory which became known as differential association. Differential association is the causal or genetic process through which a particular person or series of persons, regarded individually, became criminals. Culture conflict is assumed in the concept of differential association. In order for association to be differential, cultures must be conflicting. Cultures are in conflict in many respects. The theory of differential association is that a person becomes a criminal through membership in a criminal group and segregated from anti-criminal groups, whose practices constitute respectively the criminal culture and the anti-criminal culture. Culture conflict and differential association are explanations from the point of view of the individual, while differential group organization is from the point of view of a group.
