Functionalist, strain & subcultural theories Flashcards
Why do functionalist see crime as inevitable and universal?
- not everyone is equally socialised into the shared norms and values so some individuals would be prone to deviate
- there is diversity in lifestyles & values who develop their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values which is seen as deviant
- in modern societies, rules governing behaviour are weaker leading to anomie > & more deviance
What is the first positive function of crime?
- boundary maintenance > crime produces a reaction from society, uniting its members in condemnation of the wrongdoer & reinforcing their commitment to shared norms & values
- purpose of punishment is to reaffirm social solidarity
What do strain theories argue?
that people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means
Who developed the first strain theory and what does he argue?
Merton
- explain how societal structure may cause individuals to commit crime
- uses the example of the American dream which culture promotes money success through hard work, education etc
- however, in reality not everyone has equal access to legitimate means such as good jobs & quality education
What happens as a result of limited opportunities according to Merton?
- this creates a strain between the cultural goals of money success & lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve
- produces frustration & creates a pressure to resort to illegitimate means (pressure= strain to anomie)
- e.g. some individuals choose to adapt through deviant means such as innovation (turning to theft or fraud to achieve success)
What are the evaluations of Merton’s strain theory?
- it fails to explain non- utilitarian crimes like vandalism or violence which do not provide financial gain
- assumes everyone shares the same cultural goals, ignoring the diversity of values in society
- deterministic
- Marxists > ignores power of the ruling class to make & enforce laws in ways that criminalise the poor & not the rich
What do subcultural theories see deviance as a product of?
- a delinquent subculture with different values from those of mainstream society
- subcultures are a solution to being denied legitimate means to achieve
What did Cohen argue in his subcultural strain theory?
- applied strain theory to youth crime, particularly delinquent subcultures
- argued that w/c boys face status frustration due to feelings of anomie in a m/c dominated education system & the low status they are given by mainstream society
- as a result they form delinquent subcultures where they invert mainstream values, committing crimes like vandalism for respect & status rather than material gain > create their own illegitimate opportunity structure
- explains why crime is committed in groups & how crime can be expressive rather than instrumental
What are the evaluations of Cohens subcultural strain theory?
- explains non utilitarian crime like vandalism unlike Merton who only accounts for crime with a profit motive
- assumes that all w/c boys start by aspiring to m/c success which ignores the possibility that some may reject these goals from the outset
- does not explain why only some individuals in disadvantaged situations turn to crime
How did Cloward and Ohlin extend subcultural strain theory?
- argue that different subcultures emerge as a result of unequal access to illegitimate opportunity structures not only legitimate ones
- explains why crime takes different forms in different locations
What is the first type of subculture identified by Cloward & Ohlin?
- criminal SC > develop in stable w/c areas where there is an established hierarchy of adult criminals who pass on their knowledge to younger offenders (explain why some areas have organised crime e.g. drug trafficking
What is the second type of subculture identified by Cloward & Ohlin?
- Conflict SC > emerge in areas with high social disintegration & a lack of stable criminal networks
- here young people turn to gang violence to gain status as seen in inner cities with high gang activity
What is the third subculture identified by Cloward and Ohlin?
Retreatist SC >form when individuals fail in both legitimate & illegitimate structures leading to substance abuse & petty crime
What is the evaluation of Cloward & Ohlin?
- their typology is too rigid> many criminals engage in a mix of different forms of deviance rather than fitting neatly in one category
- also focuses too much on w/c crimes, ignoring m/c crimes such as white collar or corporate crime
- deterministic
What does Messner & Rosenfeld’s institutional anomie theory argue?
- expands on Merton’s theory by arguing that crime results from an overemphasis on economic success at the expense of other social institutions
- suggest that in capitalist societies, the pursuit of material wealth dominates cultural values weakening institutions like family, education etc which otherwise regulate behaviour
What is a consequence of this economic dominance Messner & Rosenfeld identify?
- economic dominance leads to an anything goes mentality where achieving financial success is prioritized over legitimate means increasing deviant behaviour
- e.g. in the US where the American dream promotes wealth as the ultimate goal
> useful as it highlights the structural causes of deviance
Evaluating the institutional anomie theory
- Critics argue that IAT is too focused on macro level economic structures & fails to account for individual and cultural differences in crime rates
