C&D T1: Functionalism, Strain Theory and Subcultural Theory Flashcards
What are the two key mechanisms that enable us to achieve social solidarity
- Socialisation - instils a shared culture into its
members. This ensures individuals internalise the same norms and values. - SOCIAL CONTROL – mechanisms include rewards for conforming and punishment for deviance. These help to ensure that individuals behave in the way society
expects.
Anomie
Social breakdown - lack of purpose or ideals
DURKEIM sees this as social suicide
Two reasons why crime is inevitable
A. Not everyone is equally socialised
B. In complex modern societies there is diversity - groups develop their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values
Durkheim’s positive functions for society
- Boundary Maintenance - crime produces a reaction from society. Durkheim uses punishment to explain this - its not about stopping behaviour but instead the purpose is to reaffirm social solidarity and reinforce shared rules
- Adaptation and change - for Durkheim all acts of change starts with an act of deviance. Individuals with new ideas must not be stifled by the weight of social control, there must be scope for them to challenge and change existing norms
Benefits of prostitution and pornography
Davis - prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of men’s frustrations without threatening the nuclear family
Polsky - porn safely channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultery
Merton’s Strain Theory
People engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means
What two elements are in Merton’s theory?
Structural factors - society’s unequal structure
Cultural factors - strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on legitimate means to achieve them
What two things does Merton say is the result of strain?
- the goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve
- what the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately
The American dream
success for one and all - goals that can be achieved through self discipline, study, educational qualifications and hard work
This ideology tells Americans that their society is meritocratic - there are opportunities for all
What is the reality of the American Dream?
Many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities legitimately
due to poverty, inadequate schools and discrimination in the job market
This creates the pressure to turn to illegitimate means such as crime and
deviance - ‘the strain to anomie’
Deviant adaptations to strain
There are five types of adaptation which depend upon whether an individual accepts, rejects or replaces approved cultural goals and the legitimate means of achieving them.
Innovation
Individuals accept the goal of money success but use ‘new’ illegitimate means Eg. theft/freud. Those at the lower end of the class structure are under the greatest pressure to innovate
Conformity
individuals accept culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately. Most likely within the middle classes who have good opportunities to achieve. This is the typical response of most americans
Ritualism
Give up on trying to achieve goals but have internalised means and follow the rules. Typically lower middle class office workers
Retreatism
Reject both goals and legitimate means and become dropouts. Merton includes; vagrants, dropouts, tramps and drug addicts
Rebellion
Reject society’s goals and means but replace them with new ones in order to bring about revolutionary change and create a new society
Subcultural strain theories
See deviance as the product of a delinquent subculture with different values from those of mainstream society. Subcultures provide an alternative opportunity structure for those who are denied chance to achieve by legitimate means – mainly the working class.
Subcultural strain theories both criticise MERTON’S theory and build on it.
Albert Cohen and Status Frustration
Cohen agrees with Merton - deviance is largely a wc phenomenon
How did Cohen criticise Merton? (two)
- Merton sees deviance as an individual response to strain ignoring that a lot of deviance is committed by groups, especially amongst the young
- Merton focuses on utilitarian crime committed for material gain and ignores assault, vandalism (non-utilitarian) where there is no economic motivation
What is status frustration?
a sense of personal failure and inadequacy
Alternative status hierarchy
- Subcultures values are based on spite, malice, hostility and contempt for those outside it
- It inverts the values of mainstream society
- What society values the delinquent subculture hate and vice/ versa
- Offers the boys an alternative status hierarchy where they can achieve
- Create their own illegitimate opportunity structures where they can win status from their peers through their delinquent actions.
Illegitimate opportunity structures
crime identified by Merton and Cohen arises due to a lack of LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITIES some will arise as a result of unequal access to the ILLEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITY
STRUCTURES.
Cloward and Ohlin 3 subcultures
criminal, conflict, retreatist
C&O Criminal Subculture
Provide youths with an apprenticeship for a career in utilitarian crime.
Only happens in communities with a long standing criminal culture.
Young associate with adult criminals who select those with the right aptitude and abilities and provide training and opportunities up the criminal careers ladder
C&O Conflict Subculture
Where there’s high population turnover and high levels of social disorganisation this prevents stable professional criminal networks developing.
Its absence means only illegitimate opportunities available are within loosely organised gangs.
Violence provides a release from frustration of blocked opportunity as well as an alternative source of status (this is closest to COHEN’S theory).
C&O Retreatist Subculture
In any neighbourhood not everyone who wants to become a professional criminal succeeds just as noteveryone gets a good job.
These double failures turn to retreatist subcultures based on illegal drug use.
SOUTH and the drug trade
SOUTH argues that CLOWARD AND OHLIN draw the boundaries too sharply between the different types of subcultures.
a mixture of
“disorganised” crime as in the CONFLICT SUBCULTURE alongside more professional “mafia” style CRIMINAL SUBCULTURES. So rather than fitting neatly into a subculture as suggested by CLOWARD AND OHLIN this type of crime will cross a number of the subcultures they identified.
2 Key elements of Subcultural strain theory
- Subcultural values are distinct from those held by the majority of the population.
- Delinquents are forced into deviant actions by the forces of these subcultures – DETERMINISM.
Much of the research conducted into subcultures has in fact revealed that most delinquent behaviour is simply the behaviour of ordinary people.
Matza and the concept of drift
youths end up in “no mans land” - they lack control over their own lives and seek to gain some control
Institutional Anomie theory
They make the point that the obsession with
individual monetary success” pushes people towards crime.
