Sociological theories Flashcards
Sociological theories
The social influences that have an affect and effect upon individuals and groups in society
Social structure theory
Economic Structure and Crime:
- Stratified society
Differences between people in a socioeconomic sense
- Social class
Social disorganisation
No unity of purpose. Children not going to school, medical services not easy to gain access to, people aren’t led by the practice of others.
Poverty, break down of institutions
Shaw and McKay
Transitional neighbourhoods
Area undergoing shift in population and structure
Social Ecology School
Collective Efficacy
- High levels of social control
- Social integration
- Interpersonal ties
- Mutual trust
- Willingness to intervene
- Maintenance of public order
Strain theories
- Poverty
- Maintenance of controversial rules and norms
- Strain
- Formation of gangs and groups
- Crime and delinquency
- Criminal careers
Theory of Anomie
Society alienation.
• Social adaptations:
o Conformity: Buying in
o Innovation: Can’t succeed so adapt (maladaptive – most criminal response)
o Ritualism: Traditional ceremonies i.e. engage with churches, clubs etc
o Retreatism: Withdrawing (maybe hippies, certainly drugs and alcohol)
o Rebellion: Revolution
General strain theory
Multiple sources of strain
o Failure to achieve positively valued goals
o Disjunction of expectations and achievements
o Removal of positively valued stimuli
o Presentation of negative stimuli
Cultural deviance
- Poverty
- Socialisation
- Subculture
- Deviant values
- Crime and delinquency
- Criminal careers
Delinquent subcultures
• Status Frustration • Middle-Class Measuring Rods • Formation of Deviant Subcultures Theory of Differential Opportunity • Criminal gangs • Conflict gangs • Retreatist gangs
Social structure public policy
- Public Assistance or Welfare
- Improving Community-Structure in High-Crime Areas
- Head Start
- Legal Services
- Community Action Programs
Institutions of socialisation
• Family Relations o Parental efficacy • Educational Experience o Dropping out o Getting bullied • Peer Relations • Religion and Belief Key indicators for a criminal path
Social learning theory
People learn the techniques and attitudes of crime from close relationships with criminal peers and interactions.
Social control theory
Everyone has the potential to become a criminal but most people are controlled by their bonds to society. Crime occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken.
Social reaction (labelling) theory
People become criminals when significant members of society label them as such and they accept those labels as a personal identity
Differential association
A person becomes a criminal when he or she perceives more favorable than unfavorable consequences to violating the law through social learning
Neutralisation theory
Denial of responsibility (not their fault/beyond their control or accidents)
Denial of injury (stealing is “borrowing”; vandalism “mischief” or “balancing up power differentials” ”; Close friends or relatives may dismiss the activity as “trivial”»_space; crime as socially acceptable)
Denial of the victim (victims “had it coming”)
Social process theories
Condemnation of the condemners (the world is corrupt and the perpetrators is just getting his or her share. People and institutions are corrupt – Politicians in particular)
Appeal to higher loyalties.
Hirschi’s self control theory
• Attachment o Sensitivity to and interest in others • Commitment o Time, energy, and effort spent in conventional activities • Belief o Morals, values, belief in the law • Involvement o Participation in conventional activities
Social reaction (labelling)
• Consequences of labelling o Self labelling o Joining deviant cliques o Retrospective reading • Primary and secondary deviance
Social conflict and critical criminology
-Those in power shape the context of the law
White-collar crimes causing large quantities of damage punished leniently (banks)
Petty crimes causing small amounts of damage punished severely (pornography vs illegal downloads)
-Always going to be a struggle for power – wealth = power (ability to resist forces of law)
Critical criminology
-Crime is a political concept designed to protect the power and position of the upper classes at the expense of the poor
Instrument theory
Criminal law and the criminal justice system are capitalist instruments for controlling the lower class
Structural theory
Criminal law and the criminal justice system are means of defending and preserving the capitalist system
