Functionalism

Question 1

What different theories of crime and deviance are there?

Answer 1

Functionalism, Strain, Control, Interactionism, subcultural, Marxism, Left/Right Realism.

Question 2

Why is crime inevitable, according to Durkheim?

Answer 2

Because some people are inadequately socialised, therefore, they may commit crime.

Question 3

According to Durkheim, what is the positive functions of crime?

Answer 3

• Reaffirming values.
• Changing values.
• Social cohesion.
• Safety valve.

Question 4

How does crime reaffirm the values of society?

Answer 4

CJS and media publicly broadcast existing values that people shouldn’t deviate.

Question 5

What is an example of crime reaffirming values?

Answer 5

• Madeleine McCann = when she went missing, everyone was concerned and this reaffirmed the values of the collective conscience.

Question 6

How does crime change values of society?

Answer 6

Crimes test the boundaries of the particular law, when the law is too far-fetched, legal reform is necessary.

Question 7

What is an example of crime changing values?

Answer 7

• MLK = protested for equality, he managed to get the ‘Voting Act 1965’ in which society changed its values regarding equality.

Question 8

How does crime provide society with a sense of social cohesion?

Answer 8

When horrific crimes are broadcasted, people collectively come together in horror.

Question 9

What is an example of crime providing social cohesion?

Answer 9

• France terror attack = solidarity was spread through Western Europe, and the Eiffel Tower was lit up with their flag in respect.

Question 10

How does crime provide a safety valve?

Answer 10

Deviance provides a harmless expression of discontent, keeping social order protected - doing a less serious crime can prevent a more serious crime from happening.

Question 11

What is an example of crime being a safety valve?

Answer 11

• Cohen = when men have sex with prostitutes it provides a release from stress and pressure of the family life without undermining family stability.

Question 12

According to Durkheim, what is a negative function of crime?

Answer 12

• Anomie = people of dissimilar backgrounds are less likely to agree on what is right and may not respect the law, therefore, people follow their own desires.

Rules governing behaviour become weak due to diversity.

Question 13

What are the evaluations of Durkheim?

Answer 13

• Crime creates the need for employment.
• Anomie is criticised.
• Helps explain many incidents.
• Kingsley Davies (1961) = prostitution.
• Marxists challenge them.
• Durkheim fails to explain whys some people are more likely to to commit crime that others.

Question 14

How does crime create the need for employment?

Answer 14

• CJS = crime has created employment for the agents of social control, without crime; many people would be unemployed.

Question 15

How is anomie criticised?

Answer 15

Durkheim explains what it is, but he doesn’t specify how much crime is too much or too little in order to have anomie.

Question 16

How does the functionalist view help explain many incidents?

Answer 16

• e.g. Those who helped tidy up after the London riots showed the collective conscience.

Question 17

What does Kingsley Davies say about safety valve?

Answer 17

• Provides economic support for unskilled women.

- Allowed men to have sexual variety without it interfering with the family.

Question 18

How do Marxists challenge Durkheim’s view?

Answer 18

Laws reflect capitalists and not the public, and they protect capitalist property, not the rights of the majority.

Question 19

What does Durkheim ignore, which Hirschi, Cohen, Merton, etc explain?

Answer 19

He doesn’t explain why some people are more likely to commit crime than others.

Question 20

What theory did Hirschi develop?

Answer 20

Control theory = the public generally accept law and order, he explains why people conform (Causes of Delinquency, 1969).

Question 21

How old were the people that Hirschi studied?

Answer 21

Young.

Question 22

According to Hirschi, why do people conform to social norms and values?

Answer 22

1) Attachment = the more we care about other people, the more reluctant we are to disappoint them by deviating.
2) Commitment = those committed to education and a career have too much to lose by deviating.
3) Involvement = those busy working, studying or hobbies had little spare time to deviate.
4) . Belief = those that believe the laws are right are more likely to follow them.

Question 23

How are Hirschi’s factors often found together?

Answer 23

E.g.

If we are bored in school (low commitment) and dislike our teacher (low attachment), we are more likely to take risks rather than do homework (low involvement).

Question 24

What are the evaluations of Hirschi?

Answer 24

Malestream = he only consulted police data on the boys in his sample, yet drew conclusions on young people in general.

Question 25

What theory did Merton develop?

Answer 25

Strain =

• People engage in deviant behaviour when they cannot achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means.

Question 26

What was Merton’s aim?

Answer 26

He wanted to discover why some people are pressured by society to engage in non-conforming conduct.

Question 27

What does Merton combine in his explanation?

Answer 27

1) . Structural factors = society’s unequal opportunity structure.
2) . Cultural factors = society places strong emphasis on success, but weak emphasis on the legitimate means.

Question 28

What causes deviance, according to Merton?

Answer 28

Strain between the goals a culture encourages individuals to aim for, and what the structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately.

Question 29

How was this strain created in America?

Answer 29

• Culture = America strived for wealth and success (e.g. through education).
• Structure = Lack of legitimate means due to poverty and discrimination, and people gave up confidence that they could achieve legitimately.

Question 30

According to Merton, what did this strain in America cause?

Answer 30

Anomie.

Question 31

What adaptions to this strain (anomie) did Merton identify?

Answer 31

1) . Conformity = accept culturally approved goals and achieve them legitimately.
2) . Innovation = works towards goals illegitimately.
3) . Ritualism = follows daily routines but give up on goals and means.
4) . Retreatism = individuals reject goals and means, and drop out of society.
5) . Rebellion = individuals replace existing goals and means with new ones with the aim of bringing social change.

Question 32

What type of people does Merton’s theory focus on?

Answer 32

The individual, not the group.

• He ignores criminal subcultures.

Question 33

Which group is related to each adaption?

Answer 33

1) . Conformity = middle-class.
2) . Innovation = working-class.
3) . Ritualism = lower middle-class.
4) . Retreatism = addicts, vagrants, etc.
5) . Rebellion = political radicals.

Question 34

What are the evaluations of Merton’s strain theory?

Answer 34

:) Illustrates how structural changes can increase crime and deviance.
:) Explores why different social classes might be more or less likely to deviate.
:( Marxist’s criticisms.
:( Doesn’t explain non-utilitarian crimes.

Question 35

How do Marxists criticise Merton?

Answer 35

They argue that Merton ignores the influence of capitalists in making and enforcing laws to criminalise people.

Question 36

How does Merton’s theory avoid explaining non-utilitarian crimes?

Answer 36

Only explains crimes revolving around the accepted goals (money), not over goals - e.g. wanting to achieve masculinity through street crimes (vandalism, violence, etc).