Chapter 14: Sociological Theories (Social Structural Theories) Pt. 1 Flashcards
__________ theories focus on “kinds of conditions” that enable and constrain criminal motivations.
Sociological
Sociological theories focus on “_____ ___ __________” that enable and constrain criminal motivations.
“kinds of conditions”
Sociological theories have been developed to explain both the ________ and __________ of crime.
etiology
epidemiology
Sociological theories answer what kinds of questions?
(1) “why are some geographical areas more crime prone than others?”
(2) “what are the characteristics of these“hot spots” for crime?”
(3) “why are street crimes (i.e. murder, assaults, robbery, thefts predominantly a young male problem?”
(4) “how dosocio-economic changes affect national and regional crime rates?”
(5) “what are the risk factors and social processes involved in the onset and persistence ofcriminal behavior?”
What does macro and micro level of sociological theories emphasize on?
Macro level, emphasizes how socialstructural conditions in the wider society to determine various types of human behavior.
Micro level, emphasizes how an individual’s criminal behavior is produced by thesocial psychological interactions with other people and the social processes that both enable and constrain criminal motivation
Macro level of sociological theories focuses on explaining ______ ______ across __________ ______ (i.e. countries, states, cities, neighborhoods).
crime rates
geographical units
______ level of sociological theories focuses on explaining crime rates across geographical units (i.e. countries, states, cities, neighborhoods).
Macro
What are some examples of macro level of sociological theories?
Social Structural Theories
-Social Disorganization Theory
-Anomie Theory
-DifferentialOpportunity Theory
Conflict Theories
-Instrumental/Structural Marxism
-Radical Feminism
-Power-Control Theories)What are some examples of micro level theories?
- social process theories
- social learning approaches
- control theories
- interactionist/labeling theories
The final type of sociological theories focuses on the _______ ____ as the unit of analysis.
criminal act
What is the crime event perspective?
Crime event perspective- criminalacts require convergenceof three necessary conditions in time and space
What are the three necessary conditions for the crime event perspective?
(1) a motivated offender
(2) a suitable target or victim
(3) a facilitating context for this act to occur
_____ ______ __________ is also known a “criminal opportunity” theories.
Crime event perspective
Crime event perspective is also known a “_______ __________” theories
“criminal opportunity”
What are examples of “criminal opportunity” theories?
- symbolic interactionist theories of deviant acts
- routine activity/lifestyles theories of criminal victimization
Social Structural Theories are based on the assumption thatstructural conditions in a society _______ and _________ human behavior.
enable
constrain
Some Social Structural Theories assume that thefundamental cause of crime is ________ ________.
cultural conflict
Some Social Structural Theories assume that we all share the same values but resort to criminalbehavior because?
we are blocked from achieving this shared goal of materialsuccess throughlegitimate means
What are the best examples of social structural theories that attribute crime to cultural conflict or distinct values among different social groups?
(1) Shaw and Mckay’s social disorganization theory and the concentric zone theory of city structure
(2) Miller’s theory about the“focal concerns” of lower class boys
(3) Wolfgang and Ferracuti’s “subculture of violence” theory
What are the best examples of social structural theories that assume value consensus (that people share cultural values)?
(1) Merton’s anomie theory
(2) Cloward and Ohllin’s differentialopportunity theory
What are the different type of social structural theories?
(1) Social Disorganization Theory
(2) Chicago Ecological School
(3) Walter Miller’s “Focal Concerns”
(4) The Subculture of Violence Theory and the “Code of the Street”
(5) Merton’s Anomie/Strain Theory
According to Social Disorganization Theory, what are the three social forces that creates high levels of crime in certain geographical areas?
(1) high population mobility/turnover
(2) low socio-economic opportunities
(3) racial/ethnic diversity
What is the solution for crime according to Social Disorganization Theory?
we increase the collective efficacy of these disadvantaged neighborhoods by community outreach activities, job fairs, improved educational services, and enhance the feelings of community pride and social integration within these neighborhoods
Who created the Concentric Zone Hypothesis
ParkandBurgess, primary leaders of the Chicago Ecological School
