Social Structure Theories Flashcards
What do social structure theories focus on?
They explore the organisation of society, and how economic and social resources are distributed.
What are the 3 social structure theories?
Social disorganisation, Merton’s Strain and Subcultural theory.
What is social disorganisation theory?
It is the idea that massive social upheavals result in anomie, causing criminal behaviour.
What are the three main components of the social disorganisation theory?
Socioeconomic disadvantage, population heterogeneity, and population instability
Explain how the 3 components of SD theory lead to increased criminality.
Socioeconomic disadvantage: restricted access to opportunities causes people to resort to illegal means.
Population heterogeneity: extreme diversity leads to a lack of cohesion and sense of community, thus more willing to commit crimes against each other.
Population instability: people continuously move in and out of the area (transitional zone), making it hard to form a community.
What is Merton’s Strain theory?
It is the idea that we are all taught to want similar things, but some lack the means to achieve these goals. Focuses on goals, opportunities and means.
What are the 5 components of Merton’s Strain theory?
Conformity: accept goals & means
Innovation: accept goals & reject means
Ritualism: reject goals & accept means
Retreatism: reject goals & means
Rebellion: substituting institutionalised means and goals for own ones
What is Cohen’s subcultural theory?
It is the idea that juvenile criminals are members of delinquent subcultures, which are sub or anti-systems of society with their own attitudes and norms, contradicting dominant culture.
What causes subcultures?
Working class youths aspire for the same things as the middle class youths, but lack the means to, causing status frustration. Hence, they adopt new deviant rules where goals (respect, money, etc.) are accrued through means like violence.
