deviant acts. Merton has labeled the deviants behavior's as Innovation Social Learning Theory The Social Learning theory theorizes that deviant behavior is learned through Social Interactions with other people. Edwin Sutherland developed an explanation for this theory which explains how one learns deviant behavior. This explanation is called differential association. Differential Association Differential Association theorizes that "If an individual associates with people who hold deviant ideas more than with people who embrace conventional ideas, the individual is likely to become deviant." The person that is presenting the deviant act isn't always necessarily the deviant. The emphasis of differential association is that if someone is presented with the opportunity they will likely commit the act.Although some one may associate with both deviants and those who hold conventional ideas, if the deviant contacts outweigh the conventional contacts then deviancy is likely to occur. Differential Association's main key point refers particularly to the association aspect. Differential Association is theorized to be "the cause of deviance. Example of Primary Deviance Charles Manson A person who was labeled as deviant was the infamous murderer Charles Manson. Manson was born to a 16 year old Kathleen Maddox on November 12, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Manson's Father, Colonel Scott left Manson's mother to raise him alone. When Charles was seven years old, he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle in McMechen, West Virginia after his mother was sentenced to 5 years in prison for armed robbery. Living with his aunt and uncle, Manson was given a more stable life that could allow him to be a positive contributor to society. However, the absence of his mother and the yearning he had for that motherly love and affection caused Manson to indulge in primary deviant behavior at a young age, which ultimately manifested into secondary deviance as he became older. Following the counsel of another uncle, a "mountain man" who lived in the mountains of Kentucky, Manson labeled himself a rebel. Manson's first act of deviancy began at the age of 9 years old when he set his school on fire and was sent to reform school. Throughout his adolescent, Manson was sent to several reform schools in hopes of rehabilitating him. Between 1942 and 1947 after her release from prison, Manson's mother was unable to properly care for him and was unsuccessful in finding him a foster home. She turned him over to the