sociological theories - done Flashcards
what is sociology?
the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behaviour
what type of theory are functionalist and subcultural theories?
structural theories
what is a structural theory?
sees the structure of society as being the underlying cause of crime rather than the individual themselves so it investigates the structure of society
how did Durkheim see society?
Durkheim saw society as a stable structure based on value consensus
what are some examples of value consencus in society?
shared norms , shared values, shared beliefs ablout right and wrong
what did Durkheim argue about crime?
he argued that crime is inevitable and a crime free society is a contradiction in terms
Durkheim says in subcultures they all have different values and behaviours to wider society - what does Durkheim call this?
an anomie - normlessness
what is the definition of normlessness?
a sense of moral confusion where shared norms become weakened
why does normlessness result in higher levels of crime and deviance?
people feel disconnected from society
finish the sentence
according to Durkheim, crime is………
normal and an integral part of our society
what are the two functions Durkheim argues crime has?
- It clarifies & reaffirms social boundaries (boundary maintenance)
- It can bring about social change and reform
in Durkheims opinion where should the crime rate be and why?
Durkheim says the crime rate should be neither too high or too low as both are indicators of a malfunctioning society
others built on Durkheims idea that crime has value in society, what did Davis say the function of crime is?
Davis says crime and deviance can be a safety valve eg prostitution can release men’s sexual frustration without threatening the nuclear family.
Similarly to Durkheim, what did cohen say about the function of crime?
he says crime and deviance can provide a warning sign that an institution is not functioning properly
what does mertons strain theory say about the root cause of crime?
the root cause of crime lies in the unequal structure of society
according to Merton, when do people engage in criminal and deviant behaviour?
when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means
what ideological idea can we link to Merton strain theory and why?
the american dream - pushes people to commit criminal acts as the american dream is unrealistic and unachievable legitimately for most people
what can stop people from achieving the american dream?
poverty, poor or lack of education, race, healthcare
what does opportunities being blocked for working-class people by poverty, inadequate schooling and discrimination create?
hint - link to Mertons theory
creates a ‘strain’ between the goal society says people should achieve and the lack of legitimate means to achieve it
what does Merton see as the cause of crime?
sees this strain between what society says people should achieve and the lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve it as the cause of crime and deviance
who does Merton say tend to conform to societies norms and values and what does he call these people?
people who can achieve societies goals legitimately - he calls these people conformists
those who cant reach society’s goals feel anger & pressure to turn to illegitimate means to achieve those goals - what does Merton call this?
the strain to anomie
According to Merton, there are four possible deviant ways of adapting to this strain based on whether the individual accepts society’s goals - what are they?
innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion
In Mertons strain theory there are five sections (including the 4 deviant ways) what is the 5th non-deviant way
conformity
mertons strain theory
what is innovation in the strain adaptation?
link to what they accept and what they reject
accept the cultural goals of society
reject the institutionalised means
mertons strain theory
what is ritualism in the strain theory?
link to what they accept and reject
reject cultural goals
accept institutionalised means
merons strain theory
what is rebellion in the strain theory?
link to what they accept and reject and their actions
create new means and new goals as they reject the means and goals of society
mertons strain theory
what is retreatism in the strain theory?
link to what they accept and rejct
reject cultural goals and reject institutionalised means
what do subcultural strain theories see as the cause of crime?
see crime and deviance as the product of delinquent subcultures with different values from those of mainstream society
what do subcultures do for those who are disadvantaged?
subcultures provide an opportunity structure for those who are denied the chance to achieve by legitimate means
what does Cohen focus on in his status frustration theory?
Cohen focuses on crime and deviance amongst working class boy
what are the two differences between Cohen and Mertons theories?
Cohen sees subcultural deviance as a group response to failure, not just an individual one.
Cohen focuses on non-utilitarian crimes (ones not committed for financial gain), such as vandalism.
what do Merton and Cohen both agree on in their theories?
they agree that deviance results from the lower classes’ failure to achieve by legitimate means
in Cohens status frustration theory, the delinquent subculture offers a solution to the working class boys by providing them with what?
an alternative status hierarchy
give an example of an alternative status hierarchy
wider society respects property but in the delinquent subculture status is gained by vandalising property
how do interactionists see our interactions?
Interactionists see our interactions with one another as based on meaning or labels
what are interactionists interested in?
They are interested in how criminality develops in the social interactions between a potential deviant and the agents of social control
who made the labelling theory?
Becker
what does becker say about ‘criminal acts’ and why they are criminal?
no act is criminal or deviant in itself, It only becomes so because those labels have been applied to those acts
in the labelling theory, Becker argues that the social construction of crime and deviance requires two activities - what are they?
- One group, lacking in power, acts in a particular way.
- Another group, those with power, responds negatively to the action and labels it as criminal.
in the labelling theory, who creates the laws and rules to define what counts as crime and deviance?
powerful groups eg the government
why does sociologist Edwin Lemert see labelling as a cause of crime and deviance?
if we label certain people as deviant, it encourages them even more to participate in deviant behaviour
what two types of deviance did Lemert distinguish between?
Lemert distinguished between primary and secondary deviance in his explanation of how labelling can cause crime
what is primary deviance?
insignificant deviant acts that have not been publicly labelled because they are trivial or the person has not been caught
what is secondary deviance?
results from labelling - people may treat the offender solely in terms of his label, which becomes his master status
if people may treat the offender solely in terms of his label what will it become?
it will become his master status (controlling identity)
what does the label of being a criminal eg a theif instead of a father or son cause?
may result in the individual being rejected by society and forced into the company of other criminals in a deviant subculture
if those that are labeled as criminals end up in a deviant subculture, what does this cause?
likely futher offences
what is it called when those who are labeled then act in the way they were labeled eg a teenager being labeled as a theif ends up stealing
self-fulfilling prophecy
what are the 3 steps in the self-fulfilling prophecy cycle
- prophecy - influences
- behavioural response - leads to
- expected outcome
what did jock young study to do with the labelling theory?
examined the deviance amplification
spiral in his 1971 work The Drugtakers
what do marxists argue?
Link to what they see as cause of criminal behaviour
Marxism is also a structural theory. Marxists argue that the
unequal structure of capitalist society shapes people’s behaviour, including criminal behaviour.
according to interactionists, our interactions with one another are based on what?
Interactionists see our interactions with one another as based on meaning or labels
what is meant by the term social construct?
an idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society
what two classes is society divided into according to marxists? explain both classes roles
The ruling capitalist class (bourgeoisie) who own the means of production, i.e. the banks and businesses
The working class (proletariat) from whose labour the capitalists make profit.
what do marxists say baout crime in relation to capitalist society?
marxists say that crime is inevitable in capitalist society because capitalism is a criminogenic (crime-causing) system
name at least 2 reasons why capitalism may cause more crime in society?
- capitalism constantly pushes consumer goods at people which will result in crimes such as theft
- Capitalists themselves commit crimes - It is a dog-eat-dog
system and the quest for profit promotes greed - The exploitation of the working class drives people into
poverty, forcing them to turn to crime to survive - Inequality causes alienation and frustration, resulting in
non-utilitarian crimes such as violence and vandalism
what do marxists believe about law making and law enforcement?
both law making and law enforcement are serving the interests of the capitalist classes.
who do marxists think the law is enforced against?
the law is enforced selectively against the working class and not the upper class.
Marxist believe that ideas about crime and the law are an ideology, what does this mean?
a set of ideas that conceal the inequality of capitalist society
How might crime be used to conceal the truth about capitalism and force us to accept it?
- selective enforcement makes it seem that crime is the fault of the working classes
- Attention is shifted from the wrong-doings of the ruling classes so their actions do not seem like the problem
- Theres some laws designed to slightly benefit workers such as health and safety laws - they benefit capitalism by giving it a ‘caring face’
what do realists believe about other theories of crime and how they should be done?
Realists thought that Criminologists should abandon the grand theories about the causes of crime and work with governments to develop solutions to the problem of crime
what are left realism and right realism assosciated with?
think of it politically
Right Realism – associated with a right-wing/conservative political outlook
Left Realism – associated with a left-wing/socialist political outlook
what do right realists see as the cause of crime?
see it as an individual’s choice to commit crime
how do right realists believe we should punish crime?
they believe we should use control and punishment, favouring zero tolerance policies towards crime
right realists argue that crime is a product of what things?
- A criminal personality
- Inadequate socialisation
- Rational choice
finish the sentance
right realists argue that offending is high because….
the costs of crime are low
Criminals see little risk of being caught and/or do not expect to receive severe punishment if they are so they make the rational decision to offend as the risks/costs are outweighed by the benefits. Felson developed this idea with Routine Activity Theory, arguing that for crime to occur, there needed to be three conditions. what are these 3 conditions?
- A motivated offender
- A suitable target (victim or property).
- An absence of a ‘capable guardian
what do Wilson and Kelling argue in the broken windows theory?
if a neighbourhood is run down and crime is rife, crime is more likely to happen as there is a clear absence of social control within those neighbourhoods
what do left realists see as the root cause of crime?
they see inequality in capitalist society as the root cause of crime
how do left realists believe we should reduce the amount of crime?
. They propose to reduce crime by making society fairer and more equal
what is Surveillance?
Surveillance is the monitoring of behaviour for the purposes of information gathering, influencing, managing or directing
explain the concept of the panopticon
in the Panopticon, prisoners’ cells are visible to the guards from a central viewing point, but the prisoners cannot see the guards
in the panopticon what was the impact on prisoners behaviour after a while
the prisoners started to always behave as they didnt know when they were being watched
because the prisoners couldnt tell if they were being watched, they began to ………
link to the impact on them and their behaviour
began to regulate their own behaviour
