Research that followed the Chicago school found that, in fact, ghetto neighborhoods demonstrate a lot of organization. The kind of organization found in poor neighborhoods, however, is simply different from that found in middle-class neighborhoods. The Role of the Church in Black Communities. Furthermore, many of the activities viewed as deviant in poor communities, were also committed in middle-class suburban areas. It arose as a critique to those theories that sought biological explanations for deviance.
People learn to be deviant by associating with people who are deviant.
Criminal knowledge, skills, values, traditions, and motives are passed on by word of mouth. People develop deviant life styles when they deferentially associate with people who support norm violations. It is not especially necessary for people to associate with actual criminals, all that is needed is that criminal definitions are common. The earlier in life that one is exposed to deviant attitudes, the greater the chance the individual will learn and internalize those attitudes . The more one associates with deviants, the greater the chance the individual will develop deviant attitudes and skills .