CRJU Final

Question 1

Prescriptive

Answer 1

Norms that specify what individuals should or are encouraged to do.

Question 2

Proscriptive

Answer 2

Norms that specify what individuals should not or are encouraged not to do.

Question 3

Subcultures

Answer 3

A group that shares a set of norms that are different from those of the larger society.

Question 4

Internal Socialization

Answer 4

Occurs when a person learns social norms from others so the norms become a part of the individual’s own personality.

Question 5

External Socialization

Answer 5

Occurs when interactions with other important people cause us to behave in accordance with social norms so that we gain “acceptance and status in the eyes of others”.

Question 6

Informal Social Control

Answer 6

Tools used to control behavior in everyday social life, including social control exercised by peers, communities, families, and groups. This forms the basis of the socialization process.

Question 7

Internal Social Control

Answer 7

A type of informal social control related to conscience in which an individual internalizes norms and acts according to them.

Question 8

Relational Social Control

Answer 8

A type of informal social control that depends on a person’s interactions with others, in which positive or negative reactions from others lead individuals to conform to social norms.

Question 9

Formal Social Control

Answer 9

Mechanisms exercised by the government to control human behavior and to cause persons to conform to norms and obey laws. Criminal justice and criminal law are the most important tools of formal social control.

Question 10

Medical technology

Answer 10

A from of medical social control referring to the actual techniques available to treat forms of illness and/or deviance. Examples include the administration of medication or the use of medical procedures, such as surgery.

Question 11

Medical Collaboration

Answer 11

A form of medical social control that occurs when the medical profession works with other institutions of social control.

Question 12

Medical Ideology

Answer 12

A form of medical social control referring to the implications that result from defining a behavior in medical terms. This can include the ideological consequences of labeling a behavior as a disease and how doing so reflects dominant social values.

Question 13

Criminologists

Answer 13

Study crime trends and why persons commit criminal acts

Question 14

Criminology

Answer 14

The scientific study of crime trends, the nature of crime, and explanations for why persons commit crimes.

Question 15

Demonology

Answer 15

A historical perspective on criminology that attributes criminal behavior to the influence of evil spirits of demons. This theory has been rejected by modern criminologists.

Question 16

Phrenology

Answer 16

A historical theory in criminology that was the study of personality traits as revealed by an examination of the bumps and grooves in the skull. This theory has been discredited by modern criminologists.

Question 17

Atavism

Answer 17

A historical theory of criminology holding that persons were born criminals as the result of inherited traits. This theory has been discredited by modern criminologists.

Question 18

Somatotypes

Answer 18

A historical theory of criminology suggesting that a person’s height and weight were associated with criminal behavior and that individuals with different physical builds, or somatotypes possess different temperaments. This theory has been discredited by modern criminologists.

Question 19

Classical Criminology

Answer 19

A set of explanations for crime based on the concept of free will, or the idea that individuals simply choose whether or not to commit a criminal act.

Question 20

Rational Choice Theory

Answer 20

An explanation for crime suggesting that offenders use a strategic thinking process to evaluate the potential rewards and risks from committing a crime and make their decision accordingly about whether or not to commit the crime.

Question 21

Routine Activities Theory

Answer 21

Views crime and victimization as a function of people’s everyday behavior, habits, lifestyle, living conditions, and social interactions. Suggests that crime occurs when three elements converge: a motivated offender, suitable target, and lack of capable guardians.

Question 22

Psychodynamic Theory

Answer 22

A theory of crime suggesting that human behavior, including crime, is controlled by a variety of mental processes. The theory was developed by Sigmund Freud based on the dynamics of the id, ego, and the superego.

Question 23

Differential Association Theory

Answer 23

Suggests that criminal behavior occurs because offenders learn it from others.

Question 24

Neutralization Theory

Answer 24

Suggests that crime occurs because offenders justify their criminal behavior through a series of neutralizations or excuses, including denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of the victim, condemnation of the condemners, and the appeal to higher loyalties.

Question 25

Antisocial Personality

Answer 25

A personality type associated with criminal activity and marked by failure to conform to norms, deceitfulness, impulsivity, aggressiveness, disregard for safety, irresponsibility, and lack of remorse.

Question 26

Social Disorganization

Answer 26

Focuses on the community environmental factors that may lead to crime, including poverty, breakdown of family and social institutions, high turnover of residents, and lack of attachment to the community.

Question 27

Concentric Zone

Answer 27

• Explains criminality in cities by suggesting that multiple zones, diagramed as concentric circles, emerge from the city’s center. The theory holds that crime is most likely to occur in the transitional zone, which is described as a residential community undergoing transition to commercial or industrial uses and marked by social disorganization.

Question 28

Strain Theory

Answer 28

Suggests that crime occurs when members of society, predominantly the lower socioeconomic class, are unable to achieve goals valued by society. Failure to achieve goals results in frustration, leading some to turn to criminal activity to achieve goals.

Question 29

Social Control Theory

Answer 29

Suggests that crime occurs when an individual’s bonds to society are weak or broken. These bonds include attachment, commitment, involvement, and beliefs.

Question 30

Labeling Theory

Answer 30

Assumes that once society places a label on a person, that individual will self-identify with the label and behave accordingly.

Question 31

Conflict Theory

Answer 31

Argues that decisions are made to benefit those who hold power in society.