Functionalism Flashcards
Durkheim key points
- believed crime and deviance is inevitable
- a certain amount of crime and deviance is necessary
- too much leads to anomie, not functional for society
- 4 key functions
What are the 4 functions of crime that Durkheim proposed?
1- Crime defines boundaries
2- Crime tests boundaries
3- Crime creates social change
4- crime creates social cohesion
1- Crime defines boundaries
The media informs us of the consequences faced by criminals and deviants. This makes it clear to the rest of society what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour
2- Crime tests boundaries
Committing crime is a way of testing what is acceptable and not acceptable. Eventually, if the boundaries are pushed by more and more ‘deviants’ it become acceptable.
3- Crime creates social change
All social change begins with some sort of deviance. In order for society to progress, yesterdays deviance must become todays normality
e.g. suffragettes, homosexuality
4- Crime creates social cohesion
A small amount of deviance in society can have a reinforcing function in bonding society together against a common enemy
X creates division, ‘us n them’ mentality
X lead to hate
X more crime, fight back
What does Davis say about crime?
Crime as a safety valve
- deviance can be a way of providing relatively harmless expression of discontent in society without becoming a threat to the stability of society
e.g. prostitution, pornography
How can we criticise Davis?
X not harmless, bigger picture involved and may lead to further crime, promotes it
FEM- creating violence against women
How can we support Davis?
Not harming anyone, private, prevents people from actually doing it
What does Cohen say about crime?
Certain deviant acts act as a warning to indicate that an aspect of society is malfunctioning
- school truancy, gang crime
How can we criticise Cohen?
X If not one act son it it is not useful
X Crime had to be bad for it to be noticed
How can functionalists be criticised?
X crime is harmful to individuals n society
X ignores capitalism and the patriarchy
X how much deviance is the right amount
X who is crime functional for, not the victims
X deviance often leads to more deviance, rather than acting as social cohesion, leads to revenge, distrust, fear and stereotyping
Who is involved in the Functionalist/New Right theory?
Hirschi
What are the 4 elements Hirschi identifies that lower a persons chances of committing a crime?
1) Attachment
- affection and sensitivity to others, family
2) Commitment
- investment in conventional society or stake in conformity, job
3) Involvement
- busy, restricted opportunity for delinquency, hobbies
4) Belief in society
- degree to which person thinks they should obey the law
What is Merton’s strain theory?
- refers to goals and means
- accepted agreed goals, follow legitimate means to achieve them is conformist
- American society n the American Dream
- outlined 5 ways in which members of American society could respond to success goals
Merton’s strain theory in relation to crime and deviance?
Different deviant and criminal acts result from and imbalance between goals and means
What are the 5 ways members of American society could respond to success goals?
1) Conformist
2) Innovation
3) Ritualism
4) Retreatism
5) Rebellion
What is conformist?
- most common response
- conform to success goals and normative means of reaching them
- strive for success by means of accepted channels
What is innovation?
They reject normative means of achieving success and accept deviant means
- still accepting of goals
- lower class
Why does innovation lead to crime and deviance?
Less opportunity from education and job
- routes are blocked so turn to crime which promises greater reward than legitimate means
What is ritualism?
Largely abandoned commonly held success goals but are strongly socialised to conform to means (norms)
- lower middle class
Why does ritualism lead to crime and deviance?
Prevented from turning to crime, only solution is to scale down or abandon success goals
Deviant- give up striving for success
What is retreatism?
Strongly internalised both cultural goals and institutionalised means yet unable to achieve success
- no SC position
- psychotics, drug addicts
Why does retreatism lead to crime and deviance?
Resolve by abandoning both, unable to cope, defeated, drop out of society
- resign to their failure
What is rebellion?
Reject success goals and means and replaces them with different ones
- adopt alternative wish to create new society
- rising class
Why does rebellion lead to crime and deviance?
Resentful and rebellious to form a revolutionary group
