A Tension Theory of Criminal Behavior

Abstract

T HE NEED for abandoning the legalistic restrictions in criminological theory and for bringing together relevant etiological observations has been worked out by Sutherland in his conceptualization of behavior systems in crime.' Citing the behavior units formulated by Hall2 in the field of larceny, Sutherland defines the behavior system in general as an integrated unit of behavior, a groupway of life, not peculiar to any individual and characterized by a feeling of identification of those who participate in it. He describes racketeering, kidnapping, professional theft, circus grifting, drug addiction, fraudulent advertising and manipulation of corporate securities as examples of behavior systems. is not understood that the entire area of crime can be covered in this manner. Rather it is understood that certain crimes cluster in systems, are organized, are combined with other behavior in such manner as to form systems, and that certain other crimes stand somewhat isolated and outside of systems.' Sutherland develops the concept of differential association as the mechanism by which general behavior becomes integrated in a behavior system of crime. Systematic criminal behavior is due immediately to differential association in a situation in which cultural conflicts exist, and ultimately to the social disorganization in that situation.' The present proposal is to supplement the concept of the behavior system with some clinical observations of individual and group offenders whose criminal behavior does not constitute a behavior system, and to supplement. the concept of differential association by attempting to explain the criminal behavior of these offenders in terms of tension arising from biological and interpersonal as well as cultural conditions. The tension theory to be developed is held to be applicable to all offenders whose criminal behavior is not systematic or routine. For purposes of presentation, however, the discussion will be limited to one kind of criminal behavior, embezzlement. Two kinds of embezzlement behavior will be distinguished and presented separately: first, individual or apparently spontaneous embezzlement, and second, group embezzlement which tends to be more or less organized. It is believed