Functionality View

Question 1

At a certain extent, crime is viewed as?

Answer 1

Functional. But too much crime is dysfunctional to society

Question 2

Why is crime at a certain extent functional to society?

Answer 2

Public shaming of offenders promotes social solidarity by reminding us of shared norms and values. Helps us learn limits of toleration, boundary maintenance

Question 3

Who said crime is functional as it helps improve social solidarity and let’s us learn the limits of toleration?

Answer 3

Durkheim

Question 4

What’s Durkheim’s analogy of why crime is inevitable?

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Why does Durkheim feel social change is good?

Answer 5

It allows society to progress, and changes the meaning of deviance, making it necessary for society to adapt and change.

Question 6

Davis says what?

Answer 6

Prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of men’s sexual frustration without threatening the monogamous nuclear family.

Question 7

Clinard says deviance acts as what?

Answer 7

Warning function that an institution isn’t working properly, that changes need to be made.

Question 8

What is a weakness of Durkheim’s theory that society needs a certain amount of deviance?

Answer 8

It’s impossible to know exactly how much deviance society needs.

Question 9

Crime supports social solidarity, how is this a weakness?

Answer 9

Society did not create crime to promote social solidarity, it was most likely for individual gain.

Question 10

Looks at the role crime has for society, ignoring what?

Answer 10

Individuals and why they commit crime.

Groups that commit crime.

Question 11

What may crime promote rather than social solidarity?

Answer 11

Isolation, many offenders feel isolated when they’d rather reintegrate

Question 12

Where does Durkheim’s theory fall down?

Answer 12

Doesn’t explain why certain individuals or groups are more prone to crime and deviance than others.

Question 13

Marxist criticisms of Functionalists?

Answer 13

Ignores W.C. and why they may have to commit crime.

Ignores corporate, green, and white collar crime.

Question 14

Structural Functionalists focus on what?

Answer 14

The American Dream

Question 15

Who says the explanation for C+D lies in the social structure of society?

Answer 15

Merton

Question 16

Merton argues most people have what?

Answer 16

The same aspirations, they share the American Dream

Question 17

What are the socially acceptable means of achieving the AD?

Answer 17

Educational success and through job promotion.

Question 18

Strain to anomie occurs because?

Answer 18

People cannot achieve the AD because of the inequalities in the social system.

Question 19

What is strain to anomie?

Answer 19

When people abandon socially acceptable behaviour and replace with their own ideals.

Question 20

Merton says C+D are a result of 2 factors.

Answer 20

Structural factors - society’s unequal opportunity structures.
Cultural factors - strong emphasis on success and weaker emphasis on the legitimate means to achieve them.

Question 21

Merton says what about a person’s position in the social structure?

Answer 21

It affects the way they adapt or respond to the strain to anomie.

Question 22

What are the 5 types of behaviour Merton lists?

Answer 22

Conformity
Innovation
Ritualism
Retreatism
Rebellion

Question 23

What do Merton’s 5 behaviours mean?

Answer 23

Goals Means
Conformity ✔ ✔
Innovation ✔ ❌
Ritualism ❌ ✔
Retreatism ❌ ❌
Rebellion ❌✔ ❌✔

Question 24

The structural functionalist view focuses around what type of crime?

Answer 24

Utilitarian

Question 25

Merton’s theory applies to both normal and deviant behaviour. How is this a strength?

Answer 25

Shows how they can both arise from the same mainstream goals. Conformists and innovators are both pursuing monetary success

Question 26

Merton takes official stats at face value. Why is this a weakness?

Answer 26

They over-represent working class crime. It’s also too deterministic, not all people who face strain deviate.

Question 27

What is a Marxist criticism of Merton?

Answer 27

Ignores power of ruling class to make and enforce laws in ways that criminalise the poor not the rich.

Question 28

What does Merton ignore?

Answer 28

Non utilitarian crime.
State crime
Corporate crime
Group crime.