Functionalism Therories

Question 1

What are the two key concepts of Durkheim’s theory

Answer 1

1. Has social change led to an increase in criminal activity in society?
2. Does crime serve a purpose or function in society?

Question 2

What did Durkheim find in relation to the first key issues ‘ Has social change led to an increase in criminal activity in society’

Answer 2

• Crime rates were lower in traditional societies
• crime is more common and inevitable in modern societies due to two reasons 1. Not everyone is affectively socialised into the value consensus 2. People in modern societies are more individualistic and selfish
• modern societies are prone to anomie (a sense of moral confusion)
• anomie weakens the collective conscience and creates criminal activity.

Question 3

What are the five functions of crime identified by Durkheim?

Answer 3

1. Boundary maintenance
2. Functional rebellion
3. Social cohesion
4. Crime as a warning
5. Crime as a safety valve

Question 4

What is boundary maintenance?

Answer 4

The idea that the punishment if crime reminds us what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Public naming and shaming acts as a deterrent.

Question 5

What is functional rebellion?

Answer 5

The idea that a change starts with an act of deviance, deviance allows people to challenge norms that are loosing relevance, deviance can lead to changes in the law and culture allowing society to develop and progress.

Question 6

What is social cohesion? (Function of crime)

Answer 6

The idea that crimes that are shocking or unexpected bring law-abiding citizens together reinforces social solidarity

Question 7

What is crime as a warning? (Function)

Answer 7

If certain types of crime and deviance are common then clearly something in society is failing and the government is then enabled to toughen up laws or actions of social institutions to ‘fix’ the problem.

Question 8

What is crime as a safety valve? (Function)

Answer 8

Tolerance of low level crime minimise other social problems e.g Polsky - access to pornography reduces risk of serious sex offences. Davis = access to prostitution reduces marital breakdown.

Question 9

What is the first evaluation of Durkheims theory?

Answer 9

1. Durkheim does not acknowledge that the harm to individuals and groups affected by crime significantly outweighs any benefit that a crime may have, he also fails to acknowledge any impact the crime may directly have on an individual, those close to them or them indirectly affected communities.

Question 10

What is the second evaluation of Durkheims theory?

Answer 10

Many crimes can be regarded as always dysfunctional and positives cannot be drawn from them. Negative impacts of serious crimes on individuals or society outweighs any positive function. Even seemingly victimless crimes e.g pollution may have a harmful effect on someone.

Question 11

What is the third evaluation of Durkheims theory?

Answer 11

Do we really need crime to achieve all of the functions of beach Durkheim suggests? E.g do we really need to experience the occasional shocking crime to reinstate our sense of solidarity to society? Arguably the reality is that most people would continue to abide by social consensus even without hearing about the crimes of others.

Question 12

What is the name of Merton’s theory?

Answer 12

Strain theory

Question 13

What is strain theory?

Answer 13

The idea that crime occurs when people have a desire to achieve socially accepted goals but lack the means to do so.

Question 14

What are the two causes of strain?

Answer 14

1. Societies emphasis an achieving material and success

2. Society’s unequal opportunity structure blocked opportunity

Question 15

What are the origins of the Merton’s theory?

Answer 15

Merton’s research was conducted in the 1930s America he was primarily concerned with explaining the crimes committed by those at the bottom of the social hierarchy.

Question 16

What did Merton find in his research in 1930?

Answer 16

People in the USA are encouraged by the family, education and mass media especially advertising to believe in the American Dream.

Question 17

What is the American Dream?

Answer 17

A package of aspirations and goals based on the idea that the USA is a meritocratic society in which hard work is rewarded in the form of material success and consumer goods regardless of social economic or ethnic background.

Question 18

Why does Merton think the American Dream is a myth?

Answer 18

He argues that not everyone can access the institution means e.g education or employment that are needed to reach the American Dream. And the structural organisation of the US society means that the resources, opportunities and the means needs to succeed are not fairly disrupted and so consequently it is difficult for some to compete equally with others for financial success. Evidence suggests that WASP elite enjoy more educational and economic advantages than other groups with American society.

Question 19

What is meant by the conformity response to strain?

Answer 19

Acceptance of socially approves goals and strive to achieve them using legitimate goals.

Question 20

What is the innovation response to strain?

Answer 20

Acceptance of socially approved goals but using crime to achieve them.

Question 21

What is the ritualise response to strain?

Answer 21

Giving up on achieving the socially accepted goals but continuing to follow the legitimate rules.

Question 22

What is the retreatism response to strain?

Answer 22

Giving up on socially accepted goals and dropping out of society.

Question 23

What is the rebellion response to strain?

Answer 23

Rejecting societies goals and replacing them with new goals that defy the status quo

Question 24

What are the 5 responses to strain?

Answer 24

Conformity, innovation, ritualise, retreatism, rebellion.

Question 25

Why does Merton believe that anomie has begun to emerge in society?

Answer 25

people begin to question the fairness of the system, behavioural norms which enable some groups to be successful are not applied equally to all groups which results in moral confusion as people begun to wonder whether it is acceptable to break the rules in order to achieve societies goals.

Question 26

What is the first evaluation point of Merton?

Answer 26

1) Merton does not explain why an ones a particular form of deviant adaptation rather than another e.g why do the majority of us choose to conform while others react to blocked opportunities with criminal behaviour.

Question 27

What is the second evaluation point of Merton?

Answer 27

2) Merton argues that there exists a consensus in modern societies about cultural goals e.g material success