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Sutherland’s Differential Association Born August 13, 1883 in Gibbon, Nebraska, Edwin H. Sutherland grew up and studied in Ottawa, Kansas, and Grand Island, Nebraska. After receiving his B.A degree from Grand Island College in 1904, he taught Latin, Greek, History, and shorthand for two years at Sioux Falls College in South Dakota. In 1906 he left Sioux Falls College and entered graduate school at the University of Chicago from which he received his doctorate. (Gaylord, 1988:7-12) While attending the University of Chicago he changed his major from history to sociology. Much of his study was influenced by the Chicago approach to the study of crime that emphasized human behavior as determined by social and physical environmental factors, rather than genetic or personal characteristics. (Gaylord, 1988:7-12) With his studies completed he began work at the University of Minnesota from 1926 to 1929 where his reputation as a leading criminologist was enhanced. At this time, his focus became sociology as a scientific enterprise whose goal was the understanding and control of social problems, including crime. (Gaylord, 1988:13) After his time at Minnesota he moved to Indiana University and founded the Bloomington School of Criminology at Indiana University. While at Indiana, he published 3 books, including Twenty Thousand Homeless Men (1936), The Professional Thief (1937), and the third edition of Principles of Criminology (1939). Finally in 1939 he was elected president of the American Sociological Society, and in 1940 was elected president of the Sociological Research Association. Similar in importance to strain theory and social control theory, Differential Association theory was Sutherland's major sociological contribution to criminology; . These theories all explain deviance in terms of the individual's social relationships. By attributing the cause of crime to the social context of individuals, Differential Association departs from the pathological perspective and biological perspective. "He rejected biological determinism and the extreme individualism of psychiatry, as well as economic explanations of crime. His search for an alternative understanding of crime led to the development of Differential Association theory. In contrast to both classical and biological theories, Differential Associat... ...s Sutherland a pioneer for all criminologists. Works Cited: Akers, Ronald L.. (1996). Is differential association/social learning cultural deviance theory? Criminology. Gaylord, Mark S and John F. Galliher. (1988). The criminology of Edwin Sutherland. Transaction, Inc Jacoby, Joseph E.. (1994). Classics of criminology. Waveland press, Inc. Matseuda, Ross L.. (1988). The current state of differential association theory. Crime and Delinquency (July 1988). Sage Publication Pfohl, Stephen. (1994). Images of deviance and social control. McGraw-Hill, Inc. Skinner, William F. and Anne M. Fream(1997). A social learning theory analysis of computer crime among college student. Journal of research in crime and delinquency. Sage Publication Sutherland, Edwin H.. (1974). Criminology. J.B. Lippincott Company Sutherland, Edwin H.. (1961). White-collar crime. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc Sutherland, Edwin H.. (1937). The professional thief. The university of Chicago. Tittle, Charles R. and Mary Jean Burke(1986). Modeling Sutherland’s theory of differential association: Toward an empirical clarification. Social Forces. Warr, Mark (1993). Parents, Peers, and Delinquency. Social forces.