sociological appr

Question 1

general assumptions of socio apprs?

Answer 1

-Crime & deviance are normal, inevitable, and even functional occurrences in all society
-Often the result of environmental, social, economic, or structural factors (opposed to the individualistic factors of biology/psychology)
-Assumes a macro-level approach to explaining crime

Question 2

origins of socio appr?

Answer 2

-can be traced back to the chicago school

Question 3

founder of sociological appr?

Answer 3

-Émile Durkheim
-foundational figure for sociology and criminology
↳influential within the Positivist school
-Rejects their assumption that crime was ‘abnormal’, unnatural
↳saw crime as a normal and functional component of society
↳coined the term anomie

Question 4

what does anomie mean

Answer 4

-Anomie: The uprooting or breakdown of any moral values, standards, or guidance for individuals to follow
-May have been caused by rapid changes in our society and/or societal changes, ex. COVID-19

Question 5

strain theory?

Answer 5

-Merton attempted to apply Durkheim’s concept of ‘anomie’ to crime
Argued about the idea of the “American dream”; breakdown between cultural goals of their society, and access to institutional needs
↳the ‘American dream’ exists but not for everyone
↳the strain may cause anomie that could lead to criminal behaviour

Question 6

how do individuals experience anomie/strain

Answer 6

• Conformity.
• Innovation.
• Ritualism.
• Retreatism.
• Rebellion.
  -The adaptations depends on whether they accept the cultural goals and institutionalized means of achieving those goals
  ↳some are more likely to inspire criminal behaviour than others

Question 7

conformists?

Answer 7

-Accept the cultural goals and the institutional means of achieving those goals
↳not likely to be criminal

Question 8

innovators?

Answer 8

-Accept the cultural goals, but do not achieve the institutional means of achieving them
↳most likely to turn to criminality

Question 9

ritualists?

Answer 9

-Rejects the cultural goals but accepts the institutional means of achieving them
↳not likely to turn to crime

Question 10

retreatism?

Answer 10

-Rejects the cultural goals and institutional means
↳may turn to deviance

Question 11

rebellion?

Answer 11

-Rejects both the cultural goals and institutional means
↳ may turn to crime depending on the extremity of their beliefs

Question 12

albert cohen?

Answer 12

-Built on Merton’s work on sprains to explain why youths (low-income,
urban, male youths specifically) were joining gangs
-Argued that such individuals faced
disproportionate barriers to success.
* Argued that the education system presented
another unique obstacle to their success.

Question 13

education and strain theory?

Answer 13

↳middle-class values (through high school)
Punctuality, obedience, discipline, etc.
Better prepares children for the real world

‘Failure’ in school translates to ‘failure’ in other life areas
↳lower-class rejects those values, and replaces with their own

Question 14

general strain theory?

Answer 14

• Robert Agnew (1980s) proposed some major amendments to
  Merton’s original strain theory.
• Meant to be a more all-encompassing and general version of
  strain theory.
• Original Strain Theory focused primarily on the failure
  to reach positively valued goals
• Economic success, ‘the American Dream’, etc.
• Simply – the more strain one experiences, the more
  likely they are to turn to deviance/crime.

Question 15

agnew’s 2 new sources of strain

Answer 15

• The presentation of noxious stimuli (bad things).
• The removal of positive stimuli (good things).

Question 16

failure to reach positively-valued goals?

Answer 16

• Merton defined
  positive goals primarily through economic terms.
• Agnew extended this definition to refer to any
  unmet/failed goal, economic or otherwise.
• e.g. Not making a sports team, not getting accepted
  to a certain school, experiencing a romantic
  rejection, failing an exam/course, etc.

Question 17

the presentation of negative stimuli

Answer 17

-Any negative force that impacts your life
-This can take the form of a person, a situation, a
relationship, a financial cost, etc.
* An abusive relationship, a loud neighbour, a flat
tire, an unplanned pregnancy, a bully at school,
an unexpected financial cost, injury, sickness, etc.

Question 18

the removal of positive stimuli

Answer 18

Any positive force removed from your life
* The removal of such a force causes negative
emotions and strain.
* A best friend moves to a different town, fired
from a job, ‘dumped’ by romantic partner, the
death of a pet or loved one, etc.

Question 19

the chicago school?

Answer 19

↳ ‘ecological school’
Focused on urban sociology (patterns of crime in neighbourhoods in the city)
Argued that social environments were predictors of criminal behaviour/crime rates

Question 20

Social Disorganization Theory

Answer 20

-Growth of population in Chicago from early 19th to early 20th century
↳Primary assumption:
The residential location is a factor in how likely an individual would be involved in criminal activities
-Youths from disadvantaged neighborhoods will have
more exposure to and opportunities for engaging
with delinquency and criminality.

Question 21

concentric zone model

Answer 21

-explains chicago’s rates of criminality
↳a city’s statistics are often predictable and patterned
Zone of transition experiences more pressure as cities grow
↳zone of transition was marked by higher rates of social disorganization (according to a study)
* Found that rates of juvenile delinquency were higher in such areas.
* And that rates went down the further out you went (into the suburbs).
* Studies conducted in different cities/countries have supported this
model.

Question 22

Differential Association Theory (DAT)

Answer 22

-Developed by Edwin Sutherland, built on Social Disorganization
-Argued that criminal behaviour is learned through social organization and interaction
↳ same as skills, attitudes, etc.

Question 23

assumptions of DAT?

Answer 23

Criminal values are transmitted through generations
‘Crime’ is learned both practically and as a cultural attitude
* ‘Culture conflict’ exists between conventional life and
criminal life, with the former being much stronger in some
environments.
* Higher crime rates are therefore, to be expected in socially
disorganized areas.

Question 24

Life Course Theory (Sampson & Laub)

Answer 24

-Most crime and deviance are committed in the teens - early 20’s
↳age out of criminal behaviour
-Extension of the original social bonds theory
-Social bonds emerge around adulthood that deters from criminal behaviour
-Stakes in conformity are higher