The Other Wes Moore Analysis

High crime rates are an ongoing issue through the United States, however the motivation and the cause of crime has yet to be entirely identified. Ronald Akers would say that criminality is a behavior that is learned based on what an individual sees and observes others doing. When an individual commits a crime, he or she is acting on impulse based on actions that they have seen others engage in. Initially during childhood, individuals learn actions and behavior by watching and listening to others, and out of impulse they mimic the behavior that is observed. Theorist Ronald Akers extended Sutherland’s differential association theory with a modern viewpoint known as the social learning theory. The social learning theory states that

“One name, two fates,” that what the author of the Other Wes Moore stated on the cover of his book. Two boys that were born in the same neighborhood in Baltimore, and had a difficult childhood since they both grew up fatherless. The coincidence was that the two boys were called Wes. They both shared a lot of similarities from living in a poor neighborhood and growing up in Baltimore street corners with their squads. However, their futures were completely different as one achieved the impossible and the other was a convicted murderer serving a life sentence. People may think that how could this happen since they both were living the same circumstances. However, in the book Wes Moore, the boys did not have equal opportunities in terms of parenting, education, and environment.

This paper analyzes and applies the social learning theory to Richard Ramirez a convicted serial killer. From exploring and understanding the social learning theory to giving a glimpse on Ramirez’s backstory and crimes. Beginning with early childhood that consists of his abusive father and personal head trauma. Thus, connecting social learning and other factors that lead to his heinous crimes. Middle childhood that includes his social interactions with his family members and the onset of his first crimes. Shortly, adolescence starts and stronger perverse emotions after hanging out and being influenced by his cousin Mike. Emerging adulthood and adulthood, Richard’s desire is thereon turned into actions that ultimately makes him the “Night Stalker”. Crimes such as burglary, rape, and murder that were learned from his social environment. Finally, a brief analysis on what was learned from the life span and applying the social learning theory to a serial killer Richard Ramirez.

The Elijah Anderson’s article, “Code of the Streets” is a perfect illustration for cultural arguments because it involves environments that are susceptible to learning a criminal culture; even up to a point of promoting that type of criminal behavior as “normal”. It also has links to Differential Association and Social Learning theories of crime

In Wes Moore's book, The Other Wes Moore, he describes both his childhood and the early life of another boy of the same name who grew up near the author in the same Baltimore neighborhood. Moore's book explores the reasons why one boy, the author, succeeded in life while the other Wes Moore was overwhelmed by his struggles and will spend his life in prison. The author Wes Moore addresses different topics for the reader to take from the book.The ideas that are presented by him and should be recognised are the environment the boys grew up in, the motivation they got from family, and the influence from not having a father. The author Wes Moore has always had a supportive family while on the other hand the other Wes Moore had no one besides Tony, who even then was a big factor on why Wes is where he is at today. Their environment plays a big role in both of the boy’s life since they both were around the same things. The only difference is that one had a family who got him out of there to an environment that shaped him up to be the man that he is today and the one that never left will be the one that will never leave prison for the rest of his life.

Choices, whether small or large, play an important factor in the paths people take in life. In The Other Wes Moore, there are two men with the same name who turn out very differently; today, one is an accomplished scholar and decorated veteran, while the other is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence in prison. But they grew up in very similar circumstances; both grew up fatherless in heavily drug influenced neighborhoods and often ran into trouble with the police. In the search of finding what led him and the other man down such different paths, Wes Moore finds and shows in The Other Wes Moore that it is the choices a person makes that determines their fate in life.

According to Marian Erickson, “Most of life is choices, and the rest is pure dumb luck.” Real people’s lives depend on this quote everyday, which leads to the outcome of each problem individuals face. In the passages, characterization of the main personas helps one understand the theme. Conflict and symbolism also help lead to the overall idea that life is not always guaranteed to be full of success. The book The Other Wes Moore, the poem “If,” and the informational text “The Art of Resilience” all share a common theme of how choices and luck contribute to the success of life.

The Other Wes Moore The Other Wes Moore is a book about two children with similar lifestyles when they were growing up and the same names, but ending up in different places in their lives. The story is about the other Wes Moore, who was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment and Wes Moore, the author, who faces poverty and has an ambition of receiving proper education (Moore, 2012).

The Social Learning Theory is similar to the Differential Association Theory in the respect that they both depend on the approval of others. It says that "...crime is something learned by normal people as they adapt to other people and the conditions of their environment" (Bohm, 2001: 82). People learn by reinforcement weather it is positive or negative. Growing up Kody began to feel more and more that his mom no longer expressed any love or care for him, but that she only nagged him. After returning home from juvenile hall the greeting that Kody got from his mother wasn't exactly what he wanted. "I knew she meant well, but I wasn't up to it tonight. I wanted to be loved, to be missed, to be wanted, not scolded" (Scott, 1993: 173). The

Fitting into a social group in high school is detrimental for numerous students because high school can create a barrier between individuals depending on the social group they are actively in. Micro-level theories can include a smaller aspect of crimes like directing attention to the individual. Social learning theory states that “people learn aggressive and violent behaviors the same way they learn other social behaviors” (Bond and Bushman, 2017). Social leaning theory have also been integrated into the adult and juvenile justice system because of the changes in behavior that the theory can provide but can hurt the youths by places them in the same facility or category of adults

Why do criminals commit crime? How to we learn to commit crime? These questions can be answered using social learning theory. "Social learning approach is the assumption that all human behavior is socially learned" (Thompson, Bynum 2013 115). The theory of differential association was developed by Edwin Sutherland to try and explain the development of criminal behavior. Essentially what this theory says is that deviant group behavior results from normative conflict. Normative conflict arises when multiple probable rules exist, specifying how one ought to behave in a given situation. Conflicts among norms affect deviant people of a variety of social groups. An individual is part of many social groups including friends, family, and school. Every group has its own set of social norms. Sometimes the norms between these groups can conflict with each other resulting in the possibility of deviant behavior

Social Learning theorist believe that crime is a result of learning the norms, values and

This paper takes a closer look at the social learning’s of society’s subculture that displays delinquent behavior. Using differential association I explain the learned behavior through the social environment such as role models, peer influence, and poverty stricken families. Delinquency is not biologically nor psychologically but is learned just as a person learns to obey the law. The study design is to help further the notion that criminal behavior is learned and not inherited due to genetic structure.

Because social learning theory is based on the ways that people are influenced by observing peer groups, it is quite easy for researchers and criminologists to run tests and experiments on the theory. In almost every scholarly journal about social learning theory, there is a large chunk of the article dedicated to what kind of test the author ran and the results that stemmed from it. Also, the interaction between people in peer groups is easy to observe, making those who are not professionals able to runs tests and experiments of their own, of this theory. One great thing about this theory is that it is able to predict deviant behavior. Deviant behavior is not necessarily criminal behavior, but can deviance can and will lead towards crime if it is not handled accordingly.

Sutherland (1966) hypothesized that criminal behavior is a result of a process of socialization. During this process, criminal ways are not only shared culturally, but are also learned through social interactions with intimate, personal groups. Sutherland’s theory can be outlined in nine basic tenants. Sutherland’s nine propositions are as follows: 1.Criminal behavior is learned. 2.