Functionalism

Question 1

What sociologists are associated with C&D

Answer 1

Durkheim
Merton
Cohen
Cloward/Ohlin

Question 2

What is organic analogy

Answer 2

When all the institutions work in harmony to maintain their positive functions in society

Question 3

What is social solidarity

Answer 3

When members of society feel they belong, they don’t experience ‘normlessness’ as a result of feeling left out (anomie).

Question 4

What’s value consensus

Answer 4

When there is a shared agreement on the values in society

Question 5

What’s collective conscience

Answer 5

When everyone in society has the same morals and know what’s right and what’s wrong

Question 6

Why is functionalism a structural consensus theory

Answer 6

Because the shared norms and beliefs passed through social institutions shapes and constrains a persons behaviour

Question 7

What does Durkheim say about crime in society

Answer 7

It’s inevitable, universal and relative; integral to a healthy society.

Question 8

What are the functions of crime according to functionalists

Answer 8

1. Boundary maintenance
2. Adaption and change
3. Safety valve
4. Warning light

Question 9

What is boundary maintenance

Answer 9

When someone commits a crime, they’re convicted and punished, this will deter others from committing crime too. Seeing what happens to criminals unites society, reinforcing the value consensus and strengthening social solidarity.

Question 10

What is adaption and change

Answer 10

Change only happens when people deviate from social norms. Social change happens when people respond positively to the deviant behaviour. Eventually it becomes normalised and laws change.

Question 11

What is a safety valve

Answer 11

Some functionalists believe deviance allows people to ‘let off steam’ in a relatively harmless way, allowing them to remain ‘functional’. For example, prostitution is a way for men to de-stress without threatening the family institution.

Question 12

What is a warning light

Answer 12

Other functionalists argue when people deviate from norms and values it’s because something in society is breaking down. This prompts those in power to change something.

Question 13

Why is crime inevitable according to Durkheim

Answer 13

Because of an increase in modern industrialised societies and privatised primary socialisation, it leads to an increase in deviance too. It can lead to differences in how families raise/socialise their children; inadequate socialisation can also lead to deviance.

Durkheim also states anomie is on the rise because of the increase in diversity; shared views become different more from each other, groups separate.

Question 14

What are the evaluations of Durkheim’s view on crime

Answer 14

1. He argues a certain amount of crime is necessary for a healthy society but doesn’t say how much crime
2. Ignores negative impact of crime in victims and families
3. Criticised for ignoring conflict in society; I.e. laws are usually made with one groups benefit in mind.

Question 15

What does Merton argue in society

Answer 15

There is a value consensus in society.
There’s a stronger emphasis on the goal and not the legitimate means to meet those cultural goals.
Therefore crime is committed.

Question 16

What is Merton’s strain theory

Answer 16

There is the American dream (wealth, big house, nice car etc.) and legitimate means to meet that goal (working hard, doing well in school).
The American dream is supposedly achievable because society is ‘meritocratic’.
However, meritocracy is also argued to be a myth so when people can’t meet these cultural goals, strain is experienced, leading to anomie.

Question 17

What are the 5 responses to strain?

Answer 17

1. Conformity- accept the goals and strive to achieve legitimately
2. Retreatism- reject both goals and legitimate means and drop out of society
3. Rebellion- replace old goals with new ones to bring about social change
4. Ritualism- give up on the goal but have internalised the legitimate means and follow them for their own sake
5. Innovation- accept the money success goal but use illegitimate means to achieve it; typical of those who lack legitimate opportunities

Question 18

What are the criticisms of Merton’s strain theory

Answer 18

1. Too deterministic; not all w/c people turn to crime
2. Ignores group offending, focuses on individual
3. Takes OCS at face value
4. Focuses on utilitarian crime

Question 19

What do subcultural strain theories criticise Merton for? (Cohen/Cloward & Ohlin)

Answer 19

They argue Merton ignores group offending; they argue deviance is a result of delinquent subcultures; these subcultures offer their lower-classes members a solution to the problem of how to gain the status they cannot achieve by legitimate means.

Question 20

What does Cohen argue

Answer 20

Argues there is status frustration which leads to people committing crime

Question 21

What is status frustration and how does it occur

Answer 21

all young people aspire to reach cultural goals of a good lifestyle, status and respect; m/c pupils can achieve this but w/c pupils can’t because of inequality; they experience status frustration because of the lack of status and respect they gain from teachers, peers and the education system, leading to a poor lifestyle in society.

Question 22

How does status frustration lead to crime

Answer 22

Because w/c are frustrated with the lack of status and respect m/c pupils gain easily, they often turn to subcultures (gangs) and form their own n&v’s, gaining status and respect from each other, rather than teachers and society.

Question 23

What are criticisms of Cohen

Answer 23

1. while he offers an explanation for non-utilitarian crime, he assumes all w/c boys start off by sharing m/c goals for success.
2. ignores they never shared these goals and so weren’t reacting to failure.
   Miller criticises Cohen for this assumption., and further agues w/c males have a subculture around FOCAL CONCERNS (toughness, masculinity etc.); he argues these concerns are exaggerated, therefore, delinquency is a result of over conformity to w/c subculture rather than rejection of m/c values.

Question 24

What do Cloward and Ohlin argue about crime

Answer 24

Argue Merton and Cohen fail to appreciate the illegitimate opportunity structure and for having a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
Not everyone has the same access and chances to be a criminal.
They proposed different neighbourhoods provide different illegitimate opportunities to learn criminal skills and develop careers.
Depending on their access, they’ll enter into 1 of 3 deviant subcultures.

Question 25

What are the 3 deviant subcultures Cloward and Ohlin propose

Answer 25

1. criminal subculture with established networks focused on utilitarian crimes; in neighbourhoods with stable criminal culture.
2. conflict subculture existing in areas with high pop. turnover with limited access to legitimate or illegitimate opportunity structures; activities are usually violent.
3. retreatist subcultures are formed where people have failed to succeed in both legitimate and illegitimate structures so are ‘double failures’; activities focus on illegal drug abuse.

Question 26

What are criticisms of Cloward and Ohlin

Answer 26

1. over exaggerating differences between subcultures, in reality there’s a lot of overlap.
2. Matza criticises subcultural theories for making the delinquent out from being different from other people. If this was true, crime would be widespread and persistent, Matza says people drift in and out of delinquent behaviour.

Question 27

What are overall criticisms of Functionalist views on crime

Answer 27

1. they all assume everyone is committed to same mainstream goals
2. only focus on w/c crimes, ignoring m/c crimes
3. assume OCS are true
4. largely ignore female offending