Akers is primarily a social learning theorist, so (big surprise) every theory in the book is essientially boiled down to show how it is really social learning theory by another name. He also pays insufficient attention to the new theoretical trends in the field, which again is no real surprise. I would advise anyone seeking a good understanding of criminological theory to avoid this book. If you happen to be unfortunate enough to have a professor require it for a class, ask for suggestions about supplemental readings and take this one with a grain of salt. It's so slanted that you could roll marbles off of it.