After a woman's teenage son engages in deviant behavior, she says the reason for her son's behavior is that "he fell in with a bad crowd." Which symbolic interactionist theory of deviance does this explanation MOST closely resemble?

Differential association

Explanation:

Differential association is the theory theorized by Edwin Sutherland in 1939. The Differential Association is a deviant theory suggest that people tend to learn the values and criminal behaviors from the people around them. This theory has become an important part in the study of criminology.  

In the given case, the woman's assertion that her son has engaged in the deviant behavior is because of the bad company is an example of Differential Association Theory. Because the reason that the woman is giving about the deviant behaviour of her son is that he is surrounded by the bad people, which is a trait of Differential association theory. The reason that the woman's son behaves in a deviant manner is because of the bad company from which he has learned these criminal manners.

So, the correct answer is differential association.

can you explain it better