Functionalism Flashcards
What is Value Consensus
Members of society sharing a common culture,norms,values,beliefs and goals
Why does Durkheim view crime as destabilising?
-Society couldn’t continue to function
What is ‘anomie’
Coined by Durkheim,a state of normlessness where people lose their shared values,results in chaos/riots
What is the society of saints analogy?
In a society without murder or robbery the slightest wrongdoing would be seen as deviant e.g being the least charitable
Why does Durkheim say crime is inevitable?
-not everyone is socialised equally into shared norms and values
-diversity of lifestyles in complex modern societies
-different groups develop subcultural norms that may seem deviant to the mainstream
How does crime maintain boundaries in society?
-Unites members of society in condemning the wrongdoer
-reinforces shared norms and values
-e.g through dramatic court rituals that stigmatise the wrongdoer
-baby p,Jamie Buldger
How does Crime create Social change?
-all change starts with acts perceived as deviant
-they challenge existing norms and values
-e.g civil rights movement
What are some evaluations for Durkheim?
X-Claims society needs some crime to function,doesn’t say how much
X-Crime isn’t functional for the victim
X-Explains crime in terms of its function,just because it strengthens social solidarity isn’t a reason for its existence in the first place
+-Shows punishment is integral to modern society e.g diminishing London riots
What is Strain?
The difference between:
-The goals people are culturally expected to achieve
-what society allows them to achieve legitimately
Why does Merton think societies goals are unrealistic?
Many disadvantaged groups aren’t given the opportunity to achieve legitimately
-e.g poverty,bad schools,discrimination in the Job market
How does Strain lead to Crime?
The frustration of not being able to achieve through legitimate means may lead people to commit crimes to achieve their goals
What is Conformity? (Merton)
Individuals accept culturally approved goals and try to achieve them legitimately,middle class
What is innovation? (Merton)
Individuals accept the goals of money success but use Illegitimate means e.g theft/fraud to achieve them
What is Ritualism? (Merton)
People give up on achieving goals but have internalised legitimate means so follow rules
What is Retreatism? (Merton)
People reject goals and legitimate means and become dropouts e.g vagrants,drug addicts
What is Rebellion? (Merton)
People reject existing goals and means but seek to replace them with new ones to create a new society
What are some Evaluations of Merton?
+-Explains patterns of crime found in crime statistics I.e property crime,higher rates of lower class crime
X-Crime statistics overrepresent working class crime
X-Marxists argue it ignores the rich’s role in making laws that only criminalise the poor
X-Marxists argue WC crime is out of necessity not a lack of conformity
X-Only mentions Utilitarian crime
Why does Albert Cohen criticise Merton?
1.Merton sees deviance as individual ignores deviance committed by groups e.g young people
2.Merton only focuses on utilitarian crime
Why does Albert Cohen say WC boys are likely to commit deviance?
-Face anomie in a MC system
-Suffer from cultural deprivation and lack means to achieve
-status frustration from being bottom of the hierarchy
How do WC boys overcome status Frustration? (A.Cohen)
-Reject Mainstream MC values
-Form delinquent subcultures
What is Subcultural Strain Theory? (A.Cohen)
-See deviance as the product of a delinquent subculture
-Subcultures provide an alternative culture for those who can’t achieve by legitimate means
-may not be functional for wider society but Is for its members
-criticise and build on merton’s theory
Why is deviance Functional? (A.Cohen)
Higher rates of Truancy may show a problem with the education system
Deviance can be a warning that society isn’t functioning
What are some Evaluations for cohen?
Offers an explanation of non-utilitarian deviance
X-Assumes WC boys start off with MC values then reject them ignores the possibility of them not having these values
X-doesn’t explain existence of female or middle class deviance
Why do Cloward and Ohlin think subcultural responses to crime happen?
-unequal access to both legitimate and illegitimate means of opportunity
What are Criminal Subcultures? (Cloward and Ohlin)
-provide youth with the path to utilitarian crime
-occur in areas of long-standing and stable crime culture
-young can have older criminal role models
What are conflict subcultures? (Cloward and Ohlin)
-occur in areas of high population turnover
-social disorganisation prevents a stable crime network
-opportunity lies within loosely organised gangs;men can release frustration through violence/status
What is a Retreatist subculture? (Cloward and Ohlin)
-in any neighbourhood
-not everyone is able to become a professional criminal or gang leader
-they often join retreatist subcultures based on drug use
What are some evaluations of Cloward and Ohlin’s theories?
+-provide an explanation for different types of WC crime
+-strain theory has been influential on gov’t policy
X-ignore crimes of the wealthy
X-over-predict WC crime ignore the wider power structure
X-boundaries between different subcultures are too sharp
How does Prostitution act as a safety valve? (Davis)
Allows men to release their sexual frustrations without harming nuclear family
What are some evaluations for Davis’ theory?
X-overlooks the fact that men turning to prostitutes harms nuclear family
X-based on outdated ideas of women not being sexually driven/men being breadwinners
What is Polsky’s theory?
Pornography is another way for men to release their sexual desires without adultery
What is an evaluation for Polsky’s theory?
X-ignore negative implications of the porn industry e.g lack of consent,human trafficking and desensitising abusive behaviour
