Chapter 2 Flashcards
positivist theories
those with objective views find positivist theories most useful. Positivist sociological theories are modelled after theories in the natural sciences as tools for mastering the natural or social environment
Cesare Lombroso
Explained criminality on the basis of evolution. Suggests criminals were atavists–evolutionary throwbacks whose biology prevented them from conforming to society’s rules.
Which theories do those with subjective views find most useful
interpretive and critical theories, most useful for understanding societal perceptions of and reactions to particular acts, as well as the role played by power in these perceptions and reactions.
Functionalist theories
Suggests that problems with the social structure cause some people to become deviant.
Durkheim directed his attention to anomie as the root cause of deviance; Merton suggested a strain between institutionalized goals and legitimate means as the cause; Cloward and Ohlin pointed to differential access to legitimate and illegitimate opportunities; Robert Agnew emphasized the relationship between strain and negative affect; and Albert Cohen focused on status frustration.
Interpretive and critical theories
Exploring the social typing process- the process through which deviance and normality are socially constructed
Theoretical integration
Combining aspects of different theories to explain a particular phenomenon
Positivist theories
Interested in why people act in particular ways.
- in pursuing the rules that govern the social environment
- seek cause-and-effect relationships in the form of statistical relationships
- lays the groundwork for those individuals who’re seeking more effective social control or improvement of society
Anomie theory
Émile Durkheim: a certain level of deviance is functional for society–deviance serves as a useful purpose in helping maintain society’s balance or equilibrium
-Dysfunctional levels of deviance occur when society changes too quickly and anomie (normlessness) occurs
Anomie and Strain theory
Robert Merton-Suggested that deviance originates not only from the individual but from the structure of society, which propels some into deviance.
There’s a strain between institutionalized goals and legitimate means as the cause. People adapt to this gap by conformity, innovation (can lead to deviance), ritualism, retreatism (can lead to deviance), and rebellion.
Differential opportunity theory
Cloward and Online suggest that the way society is structured results in differential access to legitimate opportunities. The way society is structured also results in differential access to illegitimate opportunities
General Strain Theory
Robert Agnew-Focuses on the roles played by structure and strain in creating deviance, but suggests that they interact with social and psychological factors.
Status Frustration Theory
Albert Cohen–Claims that inequalities in the structure of society are reproduced in the classroom, resulting in delinquent subcultures among lower-class boys. Middle-class norms dominate, creating a middle-class measuring rod which lower-class boys find difficult to live up to.
Learning theories
Deviant behaviour is a result of learning processes. People learn to be deviant.
Differential association theory
Suggests that we learn techniques and motives within intimate groups that lead us either into deviance or into conformity.
Neutralization theory
The key process is the learning of rationalizations that enable people to think that what they are doing is not really wrong.
