Functionalism

Question 1

What is the functionalist perspective on crime and deviance ?

Answer 1

• Crime is inevitable and caused by anomie which is caused by poor socialisation and inequality
• can have positive functions for society

Question 2

What does Functionalist Merton Identify ?

Answer 2

Strain theory

Question 3

What is Functionalist Merton’s ‘Strain theory’ ?

Answer 3

• The relationship between the ‘’means’ of achieving and the ‘goals’ of achievement

Merton argues those without that face ‘barriers’ that prevent them from achieving the ‘goals’ fall into 1 of 5 categories :

• Conformists - those who have invested in the American Dream / conform to the norms and values of society by working towards education / employment
• Innovators - Those that support the goals of society - e.g. earning money - but may use criminal means of achieving them
• Ritualist’s - Those who do not aspire to society’s goals but accept the means of achieving them - e.g. going to work to ‘do the job’ but might not want career success like promotions
• Retreatists - Those who reject society’s goals and may be seen as ‘Social dropouts’ - e.g. alcoholics’ / drug addicts
• Rebels - Those who create alternative goals to those prescribed by society and may seek a counterculture - e.g. Terrorists

Question 4

What barriers can people face that may cause them to feel ‘The strain’ - Mertons ‘strain theory’

Answer 4

. Poor education

. Poor socialisation

. Facing inequality

. Material deprivation

. Zero sum society

. Lack of cultural / social / economic capital

Question 5

What does Functionalist Durkheim Identify ?

Answer 5

The effect of crime

Question 6

What is Functionalist Durkheim’s ‘effect of crime’ theory?

Answer 6

Effect of crime :

. He argues crime can be :

• Positive - social change
• Negative - Social disruption

Question 7

What does Functionalist Durkheim argue crime is ?

Answer 7

He argues crime is :

. Inevitable

. Universal

. Relative

. Functional

Question 8

What does Functionalist Cohen Identify ?

Answer 8

‘Status frustration’

Question 9

What is Functionalist Cohens theory of ‘status frustration’?

Answer 9

Status frustration

Cohen focuses on W/C boys in school who fail to succeed in M/C environments and form delinquent subcultures that go against M/C norms and values

• W/C find the legitimate system harder and get frustrated - causing them to fall into subcultures

Question 10

How does Functionalist Cohens theory of ‘Status frustration’ explain non-utilitarian crime ?

Answer 10

W/C youths use non-utilitarian crimes - like vandalism. joyriding and loitering - to deal with their status frustration by having an outlet alongside allowing them to climb the illegitimate opportunist structure by gaining status within their delinquent subcultures.

Question 11

What 3 subculture did Functionalists Cloward and Ohlin identify that people fell into as a result of ‘Status frustration’

Answer 11

. Criminal subculture - where career criminals can socialist youths into their own criminal career that might result in material success

. Conflict subculture - Gangs organised by young people themselves - often based on claiming territory from other gangs - ‘Turf-wars’

. Retreatist subculture - Those who are unable to access either legitimate or illegitimate opportunity structures might dropout altogether but might do so as a group rather than individually - e.g. these groups may abuse drugs

Question 12

What does Functionalist Davis Identify ?

Answer 12

‘Safety value crimes’

Question 13

What are Davis’s ‘Saftey value crimes’ ?

Answer 13

the idea of a small amount of crime acts as a ‘safety value’ that prevents an ‘Overflow of crime

An example of this is - prostitution - as it allows men to relieve sexual tension that in turn may prevent future problems - like reducing rape stats and reducing cases of DV

Question 14

What does Functionalist Hirschi Identify ?

Answer 14

‘Bonds of attachment’ theory

Question 15

What is Functionalist Hirschi’s theory of ‘Bonds of attachment’ ?

Answer 15

Hirschi is interested in why people Don’t commit crime and their ‘Bonds of attachment’ theory suggests a person can predict the ‘typical delinquent’

• They argue that criminal activity occurs when and individuals attachment to society is weakened - e.g. unemployment + single
• A person that is more more integrated a person is into society - e.g. marriage and employment - the less likely they are to deviate from societies norms and values

Question 16

What does Functionalists Cloward and Ohlin Identify ?

Answer 16

The ‘legitimate and illegitimate opportunist structure’

Question 17

What is Functionalists Cloward and Ohlins theory of The legitimate and illegitimate opportunist strucutre’ ?

Answer 17

Cloward and Ohlin argue that :

. Not everyone can have a ‘legitimate life’ - e.g. qualifications, employment, promotions, meritocratic rewards and a happily ever after life

. But instead some face ‘barriers’and as such develop an ‘illegitimate life’ - e.g. laddish subculture, financial gain through deviance, promotions in a gang ect

• People retreat into the illegitimate opportunist structure because they feel the strain of the legitimate opportunist structure

Question 18

What is the Evaluation of Functionalists Cloward and Ohlin

Answer 18

. Not 3 distinct subcultures
- most criminal gangs would have elements of two or more of these subcultures rather than only conforming to one

. Don’t explain female crime
- They fail to explain why girls, who are denied access to these structures, do not react in the same ways that boys do

. They don’t tackle the root causes of why people are denied legitimate opportunities
- They do not question why, in a meritocratic society, W/C youths are generally denied access to the legitimate opportunity structures.

Question 19

What does Functionalist Matza identify ?

Answer 19

Theory of ‘Subterranean values and drift’

Question 20

What is Functionalist Matza’s theory of ‘Subterranean values and drift’ ?

Answer 20

Matza argues that :

• Criminality is not reserved to just one group -but rather we all have some delinquent ways ( Subterranean values) and drift into delinquency and drift out of it.
• Matza suggests proof for these ‘Subterranean values’ comes from the fact people seek to ‘Neutralise’ their deviant acts - as such people seek ways to justify their behaviour or question their responsibility through a number of ‘Techniques of neutralisation’

Question 21

What are Functionalist Matza’s ‘Techniques of neutralisation’?

Answer 21

. Denial of responsibility - “It wasn’t me / it wasn’t my fault”

. Denial of injury - “It didn’t hurt / they have insurance”

. Denial of the victim - “You deserved it / what did you expect”

. Condemnation of the condemners - “You’re just as bad”

. Appeal to higher loyalties - “i had to help my family / friends”

Question 22

What is the Evaluation of Functionalists Matza

Answer 22

. **‘Techniques of naturalisation’ are excuses **
- They could simply be used in an attempt to avoid censure or punishment, rather than ‘drift’ back into mainstream values.

. **Some of these ‘Techniques of neutralisation’ may be deviant values **
- the belief that victims are partly responsible for their victimhood, or that higher loyalties justify crimes might well be examples of the deviant norms and values of a criminal subculture