Functionality View Flashcards
At a certain extent, crime is viewed as?
Functional. But too much crime is dysfunctional to society
Why is crime at a certain extent functional to society?
Public shaming of offenders promotes social solidarity by reminding us of shared norms and values. Helps us learn limits of toleration, boundary maintenance
Who said crime is functional as it helps improve social solidarity and let’s us learn the limits of toleration?
Durkheim
What’s Durkheim’s analogy of why crime is inevitable?
Society of saints. Even in a perfect society, the smallest act of deviance would be seen as a serious offence due to such high standards.
Why does Durkheim feel social change is good?
It allows society to progress, and changes the meaning of deviance, making it necessary for society to adapt and change.
Davis says what?
Prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of men’s sexual frustration without threatening the monogamous nuclear family.
Clinard says deviance acts as what?
Warning function that an institution isn’t working properly, that changes need to be made.
What is a weakness of Durkheim’s theory that society needs a certain amount of deviance?
It’s impossible to know exactly how much deviance society needs.
Crime supports social solidarity, how is this a weakness?
Society did not create crime to promote social solidarity, it was most likely for individual gain.
Looks at the role crime has for society, ignoring what?
Individuals and why they commit crime.
Groups that commit crime.
What may crime promote rather than social solidarity?
Isolation, many offenders feel isolated when they’d rather reintegrate
Where does Durkheim’s theory fall down?
Doesn’t explain why certain individuals or groups are more prone to crime and deviance than others.
Marxist criticisms of Functionalists?
Ignores W.C. and why they may have to commit crime.
Ignores corporate, green, and white collar crime.
Structural Functionalists focus on what?
The American Dream
Who says the explanation for C+D lies in the social structure of society?
Merton
Merton argues most people have what?
The same aspirations, they share the American Dream
What are the socially acceptable means of achieving the AD?
Educational success and through job promotion.
Strain to anomie occurs because?
People cannot achieve the AD because of the inequalities in the social system.
What is strain to anomie?
When people abandon socially acceptable behaviour and replace with their own ideals.
Merton says C+D are a result of 2 factors.
Structural factors - society’s unequal opportunity structures.
Cultural factors - strong emphasis on success and weaker emphasis on the legitimate means to achieve them.
Merton says what about a person’s position in the social structure?
It affects the way they adapt or respond to the strain to anomie.
What are the 5 types of behaviour Merton lists?
Conformity Innovation Ritualism Retreatism Rebellion
What do Merton’s 5 behaviours mean?
Goals Means
Conformity ✔ ✔
Innovation ✔ ❌
Ritualism ❌ ✔
Retreatism ❌ ❌
Rebellion ❌✔ ❌✔
The structural functionalist view focuses around what type of crime?
Utilitarian
Merton’s theory applies to both normal and deviant behaviour. How is this a strength?
Shows how they can both arise from the same mainstream goals. Conformists and innovators are both pursuing monetary success
Merton takes official stats at face value. Why is this a weakness?
They over-represent working class crime. It’s also too deterministic, not all people who face strain deviate.
What is a Marxist criticism of Merton?
Ignores power of ruling class to make and enforce laws in ways that criminalise the poor not the rich.
What does Merton ignore?
Non utilitarian crime.
State crime
Corporate crime
Group crime.
