Neo-Marxism

Question 1

Taylor et al criticism of Marxism

Answer 1

criticise Marxists for economic determinism and instead see crime as meaningful action and a conscious choice by the actor. In particular, they argue that crime often has a political motive (for instance, to redistribute wealth from the rich to poor). Criminals are not passive puppets whose behaviour is shaped by capitalism: they are deliberately striving to change society.

Question 2

Taylor et al - social theory of deviance

Answer 2

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1) The wider origins of the deviant act - the unequal distribution of wealth and power in capitalist society
2) Immediate origins of the deviant act - the context in which the individual decides to commit the act
3) The act itself - its meaning for the actor
4) Immediate origins of social reaction - the reactions of those around the deviant act
5) The wider origins of societal reaction - who has the power to define actions as deviant and to label others, and why some acts are treated more harshly than others
6) The effects of labelling - what effects does the deviant at have on the future actions