Functionalism

Question 1

inevitable, natural, inadequate, labour division, subcultures, anomie

Durkheim: General View

Answer 1

Functionalists view crime as inevitable and universal. Durkheim sees crime as a natural part of a healthy society.
- In every society there are inadequately socialised people and so are prone to deviance
- In modern society, there is a highly specialised division of labour and a diversity of subcultures. This leads to individuals becoming increasingly different from one another- Durkheim refers to this as “anomie” (normlessness)

Question 2

Boundary- reaction, value consensus, punishment. Adaptation- Jesus

Durkheim: 2 functions of crime & deviance

Answer 2

1.) Boundary Maintenance
- crime produces a reaction from society, uniting its members against the deviant reinforcing their commitment to the value consensus
- Punishments helps us by reaffirming our shared rules and solidarity. For example, courtrooms show a ritual, where the offender is publicly stigmatised, reminding everyone of what is right and wrong in society

2,) Adaption & Change
- All change started as deviance
- In order for change to occur, individuals with new ideas must challenge existing idead, which will at first appear as deviance

Question 3

individual

Criticisms of Durkheim

Answer 3

He fails to recognise individual impact of crime

Question 4

warning light

Cohen

Answer 4

Deviance acts as warning light that an institution is failing (eg. high truancy rates show that there is something is wrong in schools)

Question 5

prostitution

Davis & Moore

Answer 5

Prostitution acts as a safety valve for men’s sexual desires without threatening the nuclear family

Question 6

goals, structure, cultural

Merton: Strain Theory

Answer 6

Deviance is the result of the strain between the goals a culture encourages and what the structure of society actually allows them to achieve

Merton argued that individuals resort to deviance when they cannot achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means. This could be because of
1.) Structural Factors
- Unequal opportunities in society
2.) Cultural Factors
- Strong Emphasis on success goals and less emphasis of legitimate means to achieve it

Question 7

meritocratic, cultural goals, legitimate opportunties,

Merton: The American Dream

Answer 7

The “American Dream” emphasises money and success. People are expected to pursue this through education and hard work.
- This ideology claims that society is meritocratic. However, in reality, poverty and discrimination blocks opportunities

The strain between the cultural goal- money- and the lack of legitimate opportunities leads to frustration and a pressure to resort to illegitimate means.

Question 8

explains, too deterministic, law making

Criticisms of Merton

Answer 8

Strengths:
- Explains why the rate of working class crime is higher, because they have the least amount of opportunity to achieve wealth legitimately

Weaknesses:
- to deterministic, not all working class people commit crime
- It ignores the power & privilege in making/ enforcing laws