Chp 2 - Positivist Theories Flashcards
Importance and Use of a theory?
○ Abstract ideas you have to connect to the world
○ Necessary because facts never interpret themselves
○ However, theory without a concept to apply it to is just a bunch of abstract ideas – therefore theory and practice have to be integrated
○ It is through theory that we come to understand the world
○ Theory provides us with the means of explaining and understanding deviance
Areas of focus within sociological theories may be easily explainable, but areas outside the focal range are often explained to a lesser extent if at all
Early theories of deviance focused on the…
Supernatural (demonology, witchcraft, possession, curses, spells that make people do evil things)
- Temptation or relation to the devil
Characteristics of deviance that early theorists would have attributed to supernatural we would now attribute to…
Mental Illness
With the enlightenment came..
Emphasis on rationalism and science
Cesar Lombroso’s Theory is… and is an example of…
Atavism - criminality based off evolution, atavists were evolutionary throwbacks/people who hadn’t evolved and weren’t civilized
- Theories switching to science and rationalism
Traits in Atavistic theory were called
Stigmata: asymmetrical faces, large jaws, ears, unnaturally long arms – all similar to apes
Who did Lombroso study?
Cadaver’s of prison inmates to find stigmata
What was thought to be the cause of stigmata?
XXY Chromosomes, some males were born with an extra male chromosome which led them to greater levels of violence
The biological theories that followed Lombroso’s was based off of..
Heritability. Just as one’s eye colour is inherited so is social behaviour like criminality
According to biological theories deviants were..
Born deviant, they didn’t learn the behaviour.
Coexists with … theories
Supernatural. Thought that religion can cure: gay exorcisms in churches
Beginning in the mid-20th century, biological theories had been largely replaced by…
Social Theories
Which social theory is the best?
No one theory is superior, they all contribute to a greater understanding: the more the better
3 different kinds of Social Theories
General Sociological Theories, Specific Criminological Theories, Interdisciplinary Theories
Theoretical Integration
combining aspects of different theories to explain a particular phenomena
- The boundaries between these theories are not as rigid as they have been
