Functionalist, Strain And Subculture Flashcards
Boundary maintenance
Durkheim argues how crime produces a reaction from society, uniting its members in condemnation of the wrongdoer and reinforcing their commitment to the shared norms and values
Adaptation and change
Durkheim argues that all social change starts with deviance. So there must be some scope for them to challenge and change existing norms and values, and this all starts as deviance
One evaluation of durkheims theory
Durkheim argues you need some amount of crime in society, but doesnt specify how much.
Conformity
Individuals accept societal goals and use legitimate means to achieve them. Merton argues most americans do this
Innovation
Individuals pursue societal goals through illegitimate means such as crimes like robbery, burglary.
Ritualism
Individuals give up on the societal goals, but are stuck in the means because they internalised it such as 9-5 office workers.
Retreatism
Individuals give up on societal goals and the means to achieve it and drop out of society. This is the tramps and homeless etc
Rebellion
Individuals reject societal goals and the means and replace them with their own values to try bring about revolutionary change and create a new society. This is the hippies and political radicals
Evaluation of merton
Cohen criticises merton theory for not explaining non-utillitarian crime, which is crime that brings no gain such as vandalism
Status frustration
Cohen argues how as a result of being unable to achieve status through education, working class boys suffer status frustation. So they resolve their frustation by forming delinquent subcultures with other boys in the same situation.
How does status frustration cause crime?
Because the working class boys subvert mainstream values and commit deviance to gain status from their peers.
Evaluation of status frustration
Cohen is criticised for ignoring that not all working class boys share same goals as middle class boys.
