Ronald L. Akers
Ronald L. Akers (also Ron Akers , born January 7, 1939 in New Albany , Indiana ) is an American sociologist and criminologist .
Life
Akers received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 1966. in sociology, taught US universities and has been Professor of Sociology at the University of Florida since 1980 . In 1988 he was honored with the Edwin H. Sutherland Award from the American Society of Criminology . A chair at the University of Kentucky was named after him: The Ronald L. Akers Professorship in Criminology and Deviance .
His most important contribution to textbook criminology is the theory of social learning , which is a complement to the criminological learning theory of Edwin H. Sutherland . According to Akers, the positive or negative reinforcement depends on the situation. A prison sentence does not have to be stigmatizing , it can also lead to an improvement in status in a subcultural group.
Fonts (selection)
- A Differential Association-Reinforcement Theory of Criminal Behavior , in: Social Problems, Vol. 14, 1966, No. 2, pp. 128–147 (with Robert L. Burgess )
- Law and Control in Society , 1975 (with Richard Hawkins)
- Deviant Behavior: A Social Learning Approach , Wadsworth Pub Co, Belmont 1985, ISBN 978-0534039158
- Drugs, Alcohol, and Society: Social Structure, Process, and Policy , Wadsworth Pub Co, Belmont 1992, ISBN 978-0534168063
- Social Learning and Social Structure. A General Theory of Crime and Deviance , 1998
- Criminological Theories , 4th edition, 2004 (with Christine Sellers).
Web links
- Ronald L. Akers in the Encyclopaedia Britannica (English)
- Ronald L. Akers at the University of Florida
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Akers, Ronald L. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Akers, Ron |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American sociologist and criminologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 7, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New Albany , Indiana |