Durkheim, Social Structure And Anomie Theory

Question 1

Durkheim

Answer 1

• Wanted to study how society/social structures influenced crime
• used positivism (scientific method empirical studies) to search for regularities and patterns in social behaviour
  -developed the term “social facts”
  → social facts are the object of study in sociology
  → they are values, cultural norms, and social structures that transcend the individual (external forces) and can exercise social controls/pressure
• stated that homocide was forbidden because it offends the individual
  → homicide rate is lower in modern societies (value individualism) because crimes against individuals are more condemnable
• as society evolves the seventy of crime decreases (confinement over vengeance)

Question 2

Durkheim - law and social solidarity

Answer 2

• Primitive vs modern societies
  → primitive: mechanical solidarity (social order depends on the group cohesion; collective) and repressive sanctions (using violence and force when punishing)
  → modern: organic solidarity (social order is based on relations of interdependence and respect for individual differences) and restitutive sanctions (less repressive, goal is to restore balance, done through reasoning)

Question 3

Durkheim - the nature of crime

Answer 3

• Mechanical solidarity: crime is universally condemned by the members of the society because it is an offence to the collective consciousness
• punishment: maintaining and strengthening the collective consciousness by reaffirming the shared values of the group; righteousness of the law-abiding citizens and inferiority of the criminals (has an effect on the “honest people”)
• punishment is more intense/violent in primitive societies

Question 4

Durkheim - claims about crime

Answer 4

1. Crime is normal
   → normal crime rate according to the the level of social development
2. Crime is inevitable
   → absolute conformity is impossible (only in oppressed societies); differences between members lead to crime
3. Crime is useful
   → deviance is a result of the evolution of individualism, law, and morality (moves society to a new stage)

Question 5

Merton- social structure and anomie

Answer 5

• Relationships between institutionalized means (methods to obtain goals) and culturally defined goals (objectives for all members of society; definition of success )
  → deviant behaviour is a symptom of social disorganization (disruption between means and goals)
• social integration: generalized belief that it is possible to use the means to achieve the goals
• unstable society: stresses the goal over the mean or vice versa
• failure to achieve the goal is seen as a consequence of lack of ambition

Question 6

Merton-strain of anomie

Answer 6

• Unequal structure of means and goals, as well as failure create a strain in social life
  Five responses to anomie:
  → Conformity: not deviant, most common; acceptance of goals and means
  → innovation: acceptance of goals, rejection of means
  → ritualism: rejection of goals, acceptance of means
  → retreatism: rejection of goals and means (on the individual level)
  → rebellion: rejection of goals and means (collectively)

Question 7

Institutional anomie theory

Answer 7

• Economic principles dominated other social institutions
  → Education as a mean to economic success
  → economic requirements for social institutions
  → economic-norms mediate other social institutions
  -Crime is a result of the dominance of the economy over other sectors; it weakens other institutions and causes a decline in the community
  -Anomie (lack of normality) is caused by egoism and ultra-individualism
  -solution: restructure society, rebalance social institutions, cultural regeneration, reappraisal of American Dream

Question 8

Agnew’s strain theory

Answer 8

• Focus on the individual and the social environment
• strain results from failure to obtain positive stimuli or from the removal of the stimuli
• strain occurs as a negative stimuli that is caused by stressful life events and can cause an aggressive response
• delinquency is a result of this frustration