Durkheims Functionalist Theory Flashcards
What did Durkheim say about society?
He sees society as a stable structure, based on shared norms values and beliefs on what’s right and wrong. This produces solidarity, where everyone feels as if they belong to the same unit. Most people conform to society’s shared norms and don’t deviate.
He said crime is inevitable, and society’s have subcultures where norms become less clear.
What is “anomie”?
When shared norms become weakened.
What are the 4 functions in which crime performs?
Boundary maintenance
Social change
Safety value
Warning light
- What is boundary maintenance?
Crimes produces a reaction, which reminds society of the boundary between right and wrong. This reaffirmed their shared rules
- What is social change?
For society to progress, individuals must challenge existing norms and values with new ideas. At first this will be seen as deviant
- What is a safety value?
Davis argued that prostitution acts to release men’s sexual frustrations, without threatening the nuclear family
- What is the warning light?
Deviance indicates that an institution isn’t functioning properly, for example hjgh truancy rates suggests problems with the education system
Strength: Durkheim was the first to look at positive functions for crime, what’s an example?
Durkheim was the first to recognise that crime can have positive functions for society. For example, reinforcing boundaries between right and wrong by uniting people against the wrongdoer
Weakness: why isn’t it accurate?
While crime might be functional for some, it’s not functional for victims. Not accurate for everyone
Weakness: Durkheim claims society needs a certain amount of deviance to function, however he doesn’t offer how much?
This is bad because there’s no real way to know how much deviance is right or wrong. Therefore Durkheims theory might not be able to be studied accurately
