class 11 - Social Structure Theories Flashcards
social structure theories
What do social structure theories focus on?
They focus on observing and describing everyday life, how neighborhoods develop, and how poverty forms, using ethnographic methods.
What are “natural areas” in social structure theories?
Neighborhoods that develop due to social forces within urban areas.
Which school of thought inspired social structure theories?
The Chicago School.
What is a key critique of individual-level crime theories?
They do not explain why crime is not evenly distributed across populations and cities.
How does sociological criminology view crime?
Crime might be a strategy used by groups to contend with inequality.
How do changes in social organization impact crime?
Changes in social mobility and social organization can influence crime rates.
What relationships does sociological criminology study?
The relationship between social status and criminal behavior.
What factors contribute to the causes of crime in sociological criminology?
Interactions between individuals, families, peers, work, and school.
What role does social class play in crime?
Social classes (upper, middle, lower) influence crime rates, with economic disparity contributing to criminal behavior.
How does wealth distribution affect crime over generations?
Shifting distributions of wealth across generations impact poverty and crime, with lower-income families facing higher risks.
What percentage of Canadian children live in low-income households?
Nearly 20%.
Which demographics are most affected by poverty?
New immigrants.
Indigenous peoples.
Families headed by single mothers.
How does racial inequality relate to poverty and crime?
Racialized minority groups are overrepresented in poverty and face systemic barriers leading to higher crime rates.
What are some intersectional problems related to inequality and crime?
Indigenous peoples have shorter lifespans than white populations.
Links between poverty and HIV infection.
Systemic violence against racial minorities, leading to overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.
What is the “culture of poverty” theory?
A concept that suggests impoverished neighborhoods develop a lifestyle that perpetuates poverty across generations.
What is the “underclass”?
A social group disconnected from mainstream society, lacking education and skills needed to survive.
How does unemployment impact crime rates?
Those unemployed are more likely to commit crimes.
Many adult inmates were unemployed or underemployed before their arrest.
How does unemployment affect social behavior?
It reduces conformity and increases the likelihood of criminal activity.
What is social embeddedness in crime theory?
Early behavior patterns become stable and turn into lifelong habits, reinforcing criminal tendencies.
How are unemployment and crime related?
They are interrelated, with joblessness increasing the risk of criminal behavior.
What does social structure theory argue is the primary cause of crime?
Economic inequality and disadvantage.
What are the three main theories under social structure theory?
- Social disorganization theory – Crime results from ineffective social control in certain environments.
- Strain theory – Conflict between societal goals and the means available to achieve them.
- Cultural deviance theory – Criminal subcultures form due to disorganization and conflicting social values.
What does social disorganization theory state about crime rates?
Crime rates are linked to the ecological conditions and characteristics of neighborhoods.
What types of neighborhoods are associated with higher crime rates?
Highly transient neighborhoods.
Mixed-use neighborhoods.
Poor neighborhoods.
Transitional neighborhoods (middle-class shifting to lower-class).
What is cultural transmission in social disorganization theory?
The process of passing down conduct norms from one generation to the next, leading to stable and predictable criminal behaviors over time.
What does the social ecology school focus on?
Community-level indicators of social disorganization such as disorder, poverty, alienation, and fear of crime.
What is value conflict in criminology?
A clash between the values of teenage law-violating groups and middle-class norms.
How does community deterioration contribute to crime?
As neighborhoods deteriorate, crime rates tend to increase.
What is community fear, and how does it relate to crime?
Fear of crime makes transitional neighborhoods more unstable, leading to a lack of community support and higher crime rates.
What is siege mentality?
A mistrust of social institutions (police, government, schools) that can lead to violent protests, division, and societal unrest.
What is collective efficacy in criminology?
It refers to cohesive communities that maintain high levels of social control, reducing crime and disorder.
What are the three types of social control under collective efficacy?
Informal social control – Reinforcement from peers, families, and neighbors.
Institutional social control – Trust in social institutions for effective operation.
Public social control – External resources, funding, and police presence through community organization.
What is the main concept of strain theory?
Strain occurs when individuals have goals but lack the opportunity to achieve them, leading to frustration and potential criminal behavior.
What is anomie in strain theory?
Anomie is a state of being “without norms” due to rapid social change, leading to instability and increased crime.
What are the five modes of adaptation in strain theory?
Conformity – Accepts goals and means.
Innovation – Accepts goals but rejects means (e.g., crime for success).
Ritualism – Rejects goals but follows means.
Retreatism – Rejects both goals and means (e.g., substance abuse).
Rebellion – Creates new goals and means.
What is relative deprivation in criminology?
It occurs when wealthy and poor individuals live in close proximity, increasing feelings of inequality and frustration, which can lead to crime.
How does relative deprivation impact violence?
High levels of lethal violence are observed in areas with significant income inequality.
What societal factors contribute to crime in relative deprivation theory?
Perceived humiliation.
Social and family disorganization.
Economic disparity, especially in Indigenous populations.
What does General Strain Theory (GST) focus on?
It examines the micro-level effects of strain, emphasizing negative emotions that arise from stressful life events.
What are the key causes of strain in GST?
- Failure to achieve positively valued goals.
- Mismatch between expectations and achievements.
- Loss of positively valued stimuli (e.g., job loss, death of a loved one).
- Presence of negative stimuli (e.g., abuse, victimization).
