Durkheim's FIN

Question 1

Functional

Answer 1

Durkheim suggests that a limited amount of crime is necessary & beneficial to society, so much so that society could not exist without some form of deviance.

Crime only becomes dysfunctional when its rate is unusually high or unusually low. Too much crime threatens to tear the bonds of society apart, but too little means that society is repressing & controlling its members too much which stifles individual freedom & prevents change.

Question 2

2 positive functions

Answer 2

Boundary maintenance: Crime produces a reaction from society, uniting its members in condemnation of the wrongdoer, reinforcing their commitment to the shared norms & values, drawing and maintaining the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. The courts, media, etc. dramatise wrongdoing & publicly stigmatise the offender which reaffirms the values of the law-abiding majority & discourages others from rule breaking.

Adaptation & change: For Durkheim, all change starts with an act of deviance. New ideas will challenge existing norms & values and will at first be considered deviant or criminal by many, but in the long run will lead to social change. E.g. our changing views & laws in relation to homosexuality or the beliefs & action of a historical figure such as Martin Luther King. Without this change, society & the legal system would stagnate (stand still) which would be damaging as there would be no change & no progress would be made in society.

Question 3

Inevitable

Answer 3

Every known society has some level of crime & deviance because:
- Not everyone is equally socialised into the shared norms & values (collective sentiments), so some individuals will be likely to deviate as not everyone is equally reluctant to break the law. E.g. someone brought up in a family that is used to criminal activity such as dealing in stolen goods is more likely to take part in the same criminal activity when they are older than those who are brought up in more law abiding families.

• Particularly in complex modern societies, there is a diversity of lifestyles & values. Different groups develop their own subcultures with distinct norms & values which are likely to be regarded as deviant by ‘normal’, mainstream culture. E.g. different religious or political belief systems mean that there are very different views on how we should live our lives & conduct ourselves in society.

Question 4

Normal

Answer 4

It is said that society can’t exist without some level of crime. Abnormal levels of crime occur in times of social upheaval because the power of the collective conscience is weakened & anomie takes over.

Anomie (normlessness) is when the rules normally governing behaviour become weaker & less clear-cut. People become more egoistic, look after their own interests & don’t respect anyone else. Individualism can therefore be seen as a source of crime/deviance. E.g. the looting & shooting that took place after the Haiti earthquake disaster in 2010 where people started to employ their own rules rather than those of society.