Fuctionalist Explanations Flashcards
What does Merton discuss?
‘Strain Theory’
Why does crime and deviance occur according to Merton?
When goals are emphasised more than the acceptable means.
When does Merton believe an anomie will occur?
When alternative means to achieve the goal start to become acceptable/preferred.
What does it mean when Merton says there is a ‘strain towards anomie’?
The goal becomes more important than the means
What are the 5 different responses to goal of success?
Conformity
Innovation
Ritualism
Retreatism
Rebellion
What is the Conformity response?
Most common
Most people work hard and earn money legitimately
What is the innovation response?
- Individual has a goal but doesn’t have acceptable means to achieve it.
- Occurs when middle class people who are prepared to bend the rules to make more money.
- Working class are more likely to commit crime to achieve success.
What is the ritualism response?
Some don’t strive for great wealth and so lower aspirations. Can be seen as deviant in a society of achievers.
What is the retreatism response?
- Those who struggle to achieve success may drop out of society which judges them.
- May involve not working in ‘normal life’ rejecting family and friends and following self destructive deviant behaviour.
What is the rebellion response?
Reject societies goals and replace them with alternatives by joining groups which seek a different type of society.
What are criticisms of Merton?
- Assumes the goal of financial success is universal.
- There are many other goals like family and love.
- Maybe other reasons to display deviance.
- A person may fall into more than one category.
What are the modes of adaption in response to?
The goal of success.
Who discusses ‘strain theory’?
Merton
What functionalists discuss crime?
Merton
Durkheim
Davis (and Cohen)
Who discusses that deviance is a ‘safety valve’, allowing people to ‘let off steam’?
Davis
What was Davis’ study?
They studied prostitution, and found that because the morally accepted expression of sexuality is constricted to the family to promote the raising of children, conflict can occur for many men with sexual urges which may lead to promiscuity and rape.
What did Cohen say about Davis’ study?
Prostitution provides a ‘safe outlet’ which is less threatening to the family.
What overall explanations does Durkheim give?
- Social solidarity
- Anomie
- ‘Society of Saints’
- Boundary Maintenance
What does Durkheim discuss linking to social solidarity?
- Crime brings people together, as the shared outrage will lead to ‘public tempter’, promoting social solidarity.
- May be expressed through outrage after hearing about an event.
- Members of society have a ‘collective conscience’ where they share the same values.
- This leads to a community which controls itself, using sanctions to ensure anyone who steps out of line knows it’s wrong.
What does Durkheim discuss linking to anomie?
- Small amounts of crime and deviance prevents anomie if punished.
- If not punished, the value of consensus breaks down which threatens stability of society.
- This may lead to an increase in deviant behaviour (looting, violence).
Anomie may occur if:
- There’s a sudden change of government
- There’s a disaster which leads to the destruction of order
- Major economic upheaval
What is boundary maintenance?
- Members of society must learn boundaries of what is acceptable.
- Crime and deviance aid this by showing members where the boundaries are through publicly punishing those who stray. (Agencies of social control)
- Now the media often acts as a form of public shaming and condemnation.
- Boundaries change over time and so do society’s reactions.
How can functionalism be criticised?
- Doesn’t actually explain why people commit deviance if we all share a value of consensus.
- Doesn’t explain why deviance happens or why some do it more than others.
- Doesn’t acknowledge the negative effects of deviance on individuals or victims.
- Ignores wider significance of who creates laws.
What does Durkeim say about crime and ‘society of saints’?
They saw crime as an inevitable part of society. If people were arrested for petty crime, it would create a ‘society of saints’
