Chapter 6 Flashcards
What are the 5 individual adaptations from Robert Merton’s Anomie theory
- Conformity
- Innovation
- Ritualism
- Retreatism
- Rebellion
What is the individual adaptation conformity from Robert Merton’s Anomie theory?
conformity occurs when individuals embrace conventional social goals and also have the means of attainment at their disposal. The conformist desires wealth and success and can obtain them through education and a high-paying job.
In a balanced, stable society, this is the most common social adaptation. If a majority of its people did not practice conformity, the society would cease to exist.
What is the individual adaptation Innovation from Robert Merton’s Anomie theory?
Innovation occurs when an individual accepts the goals of society but rejects or is incapable of attaining them through legitimate means. Many people desire material goods and luxuries but lack the financial ability to attain them. The resulting conflict forces them to adopt innovative solutions to their dilemma: they steal, sell drugs, or extort money. Of the five adaptations, innovation is most closely associated with criminal behavior.
What is the individual adaptation Ritualism from Robert Merton’s Anomie theory?
Ritualists have gained the tools to accumulate wealth—for example, they are educated and informed—but reject established cultural goals of contemporary society. These are people who enjoy the routine of work without having the ambition to climb to the top of their profession; they are not risk takers.
Some ritualists gain pleasure from practicing traditional ceremonies regardless of whether they have a real purpose or goal. The rules and customs in religious orders, clubs, and college fraternities are appealing to ritualists. Ritualists should have the lowest level of criminal behavior because they have abandoned the success goal, which is at the root of criminal activity.
What is the individual adaptation Retreatism from Robert Merton’s Anomie theory?
Retreatists reject both the goals and the means of society. Merton suggests that people who adjust in this fashion are “in the society but not of it.” Included in this category are “psychotics, psychoneurotics, chronic autists, pariahs, outcasts, vagrants, vagabonds, tramps, chronic drunkards, and drug addicts.” Because such people are morally or otherwise incapable of using both legitimate and illegitimate means, they attempt to escape their lack of success by withdrawing, either mentally or physically.
What is the individual adaptation Rebellion from Robert Merton’s Anomie theory?
Rebellion involves substituting an alternative set of goals and means for conventional ones. Revolutionaries who wish to promote radical change in the existing social structure and who call for alternative lifestyles, goals, and beliefs are engaging in rebellion. Rebellion may be a reaction against a corrupt and hated government or an effort to create alternate opportunities and lifestyles within the existing system.
What is Social Disorganization theory?
• Focuses on the conditions within the urban environment that affect crime rates
What are the 4 steps in social disorganization?
- Deteriorated neighborhoods:
- Inadequate Social Control: because these neighborhoods don’t have a reasonable levels of social control, they fail to develop mutual trust and shared responsibility for that neighborhood. People, instead to ensuring the success of the community, they seek self preservation first!
- Law-Violating Gangs and Groups: because social institutions are frayed or absent, law-violating youth group sand gangs form
- Conflicting Social Values:
What is Cultural Defiance Theory?
• Combines elements of strain and social disorganization
What are the two steps of Cultural Defiance Theory ?
- Development of subcultures as a result of disorganization and stress
- Subcultural values in opposition to conventional values
What is Strain Theory?
• Crime is a function of the conflict between goals people
have and their means to legally obtain them
what are he 3 conditions of Strain Theory?
- Unequal distribution of wealth and power
- Frustration
- Alternative methods of Achievement
What are the different concentric zones in the Chicago School Map?
- Zone 1: Central Work Zone (mostly work buildings. they only come here for work, so little to no crime )
- Zone 2: Transition Zone (has the most crime)
- Zone 3: “Working man zone”
- Zone 4:
- Zone 5: Commuter Zone
Where did Shaw and McKay’s concentric zone analysis indicate that the central business district of a city was found?
Zone 1
Why did sociologist Emile Durkheim define crime as a normal and necessary social event? What were his names for traditional/modern society?
Durkheim defined crime as a normal and necessary social event because it is virtually impossible to imagine a society in which criminal behavior is totally absent. Such a society would almost demand that all people be and act exactly alike.
Durkheim believed that the inevitability of crime is linked to the differences (heterogeneity) within society. Since people are so different from one another and employ such a variety of methods and forms of behavior to meet their needs, it is not surprising that some will resort to criminality. Even if “real” crimes were eliminated, human weaknesses and petty vices would be elevated to the status of crimes
What’s the “broken windows” theory?
it states that visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes.
Name two theorists who expanded on the “culture of poverty”?
Lewis and Gunnar Myrdal
What are the differences between social class and underclass?
the difference between underclass and social class are; • underclass defined by sociologist Oscar Lewis -who coined the term, described the crushing lifestyle experienced by those living in American "culture of poverty," which is passed from generation to generation. Apathy, cynicism, helplessness, and mistrust of social institutions such as schools, government agencies, and the police mark the culture of poverty.
• social class;
Define transitional neighborhoods?
• Poverty ridden neighborhoods suffered high rates of population turnover, and were incapable of inducing people to stay and defend the neighborhood against criminals
what is the concentration effect?
• is a spatial area to which high levels of crime incidents are attributed. Crime concentration happen as a result of homogeneous or heterogeneous crime incidents. These are often called hotspots and are a result of various crimes occurring in relative proximity to each other within predefined human geopolitical and social boundaries.
what is meant by gentrifications?
• Gentrification is when more affluent persons move into a less wealthy neighborhood, renovating homes and attracting new businesses. in the process, property value increases, rents go up, and poorer neighborhood resident are forcefully (by lack of funds) displaced.
What are the difference between mechanical and organic solidarity?
An anomic society is one where rules of behavior
(values, customs, norms) have broken down. Anomie is more likely to occur in societies moving from mechanical to organic solidarity
• Mechanical solidarity;
Preindustrial society; traditions, shared values, and unquestioned beliefs
• Organic solidarity;
Postindustrial, connected by interdependent needs and division of labor
What is social disorganization?
• this theory is where sociologists Shaw and McKay link crime rates to the neighborhood ecological characteristics.
What is meant by “Culture of Poverty”?
• It mean that like one’s ethnicity, religion, beliefs and more, poverty is passes from generation to generation. Apathy, cynicism, helplessness, and mistrust of social institutions such as schools, government agencies, and the police mark the culture of poverty.
