Functionalist Theory

Question 1

Social solidarity

Answer 1

Shared norms and values within a culture that brings individuals together, telling them what to strive for and how to conduct themselves

Question 2

Socialisation

Answer 2

Instils shared culture into its members. Helps them to internalise the same norms and values, and that they feel it right to act in the ways society requires

Question 3

Social control

Answer 3

Mechanisms to ensure that individuals behave in the way society expects; rewards for conformity, punishment for deviance

Question 4

Anomie

Answer 4

Normlessness; arises when there is rapid social change, because current norms become outdated/unclear. Likely occurs in modern societies due to the complex, specialised division of labour, which leads to individuals becoming increasingly different from each other, weakening the collective conscience and leading to deviance

Question 5

Views on crime

Answer 5

Inevitable and universal; deviance is found in all societies because:

• some individuals won’t be effectively socialised into the shared norms and values.
• some will form subcultures with their own set of norms and values that may deviate from mainstream culture.

Question 6

Boundary maintenance (+ function)

Answer 6

Crime produces a reaction from society, uniting its members to condemn the wrongdoer and reinforce their commitment to the hatred norms and values they hold

Question 7

Adaption and change (+ function)

Answer 7

All changes start with an act of deviance; new ideas, values and ways of living arise to challenge the current norms and values and not cause a very high or very low level of crime to get its messages through

Question 8

Davis (1937;1961)

Answer 8

Prostitution acts as a safety value for releasing men’s sexual frustrations without threatening the monogamous nuclear family

Question 9

Polsky (1967)

Answer 9

Pornography safely ‘channels’ a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives like adultery, which would be a greater threat towards the family

Question 10

Cohen: another function for crime

Answer 10

A warning that the institution isn’t functioning properly e.g truancy as a result of problems with the education system and that policy makers need to make appropriate changes to it.

Question 11

Criticisms

Answer 11

• Durkheim offers no way of knowing how much crime is the right amount for deviance to function successfully
• Crime doesn’t intentionally do certain things to strengthen social solidarity
• Ignores how crime affects different groups or individuals within society
• Crime doesn’t always promote solidarity as it can instead make people become more isolated

Question 12

Erikson (1966)

Answer 12

The true functions of agencies of social control (e.g police) may be go to sustain a certain level of crime instead of getting rid of it