Strain Theory

Question 1

What is the main difference between the biological/psychological theories of crime and the sociological theories of crime?

Answer 1

Biological/psychological theories tend to focus on the individual, sociological theories focus on the entire group as a whole.

Question 2

What is strain theory?

Answer 2

The proposition that people feel strain when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to reach because they do not have access to culturally approved means of achieving those goals.

Question 3

What is anomie?

Answer 3

The breakdown of social cohesion and social control mechanisms in society.

Question 4

What did Durkheim believe anomie would lead to?

Answer 4

High rates of crime.

• and suicide.

Question 5

What did Durkheim believe about crime level in society?

Answer 5

That some levels were good. If there was excess crime, it would destroy society. If there was no crime at all, society would be compelled to create some.

Question 6

According to Merton, what causes crime?

Answer 6

The gap between culturally ascribed aspirations and the socially structured means of achieving them.

Question 7

What is an example of Merton’s gap theory?

Answer 7

The American Dream. It’s dangled in front of everyone, but not everyone has legitimate means to reaching it.

Question 8

For Durkheim and Merton, what does an anomic society emphasize?

Answer 8

An anomic society places higher priority on self interested values, such as wealth, status, and power.

Question 9

What is the term for when individuals develop anomic values?

Answer 9

Microanomie.

Question 10

What did Konty (2005) find out in his study about values and crime?

Answer 10

Students who favoured self-enhancing values over self-transcending values were more likely to report having committed criminal and deviant acts.

Question 11

What are self-enhancing values?

Answer 11

Values that emphasize social status, prestige, dominance over others, and the welfare of others.

Question 12

What are self-transcending values?

Answer 12

Values that emphasize appreciation, tolerance, protection, and the welfare of others.

Question 13

How does Merton explain deviance in poor/lower classes?

Answer 13

It’s harder for them to gain access to legitimate means to success, such as education.

Question 14

How does Merton explain deviance in upper classes?

Answer 14

Upper classes feel high pressure to attain more wealth, so they will go to illegal lengths to achieve it.

Question 15

For Merton, anomie focuses more on ______ _______ than normlessness.

Answer 15

Relative deprivation.

Question 16

What is relative deprivation?

Answer 16

Being deprived compared to the majority of society.

i.e., committing crimes in order to not just get by, but also to compete with peers.

Question 17

What is Bernard’s explanation for how cultural factors affect crime?

Answer 17

In a culture that emphasizes ruthless pursuit of a goal, it will not matter if there is equal opportunity among people, crime will still happen.

Question 18

What is Bernard’s explanation for how structural factors affect crime?

Answer 18

No matter what culture says, in a society with unequal legitimate opportunities, those who do not have opportunities will find them in deviance/crime.

Question 19

What are the five ways of adjusting to disjuncture?

Answer 19

• Conformity
• Ritualism
• Innovation
• Retreatism
• Rebellion

Question 20

What is absolute deprivation?

Answer 20

The inability to sustain oneself physically or materially.

Question 21

What is conformity?

Answer 21

Acceptance of both goals and means.

Question 22

What is ritualism?

Answer 22

Acceptance of means, but you lose sight of the goal.

Question 23

What is innovation?

Answer 23

Acceptance of goals, rejection of classical means.

Question 24

What is retreatism?

Answer 24

Rejection of both goals and means.

Question 25

What is rebellion?

Answer 25

Acceptance and/or rejection of both means and goals.

Question 26

What is partly to blame for the lack of emphasis on making money through legitimate means in the upper classes?

Answer 26

Because it is not condemned to the same degree that other crimes are.

Question 27

What are Kobrin’s three main types of communities (with reference to the means available within them)?

Answer 27

Stable slums, transitionary slums, and suburbia.

Question 28

What did Cloward mean when he stated that illegitimate opportunities also had differences?

Answer 28

It is subject to structuring variables. People can participate in a given adaption only if they have access to do so.

i.e., a teacher cannot sell drugs in order to supplement their income if they do not have the knowledge/opportunities to do so.

Question 29

What are Cloward’s three types of illegitimate subcultures?

Answer 29

Criminal, conflict, and retreatist.

Question 30

What does the criminal subculture involve?

Answer 30

Opportunities for crimes of financial gain such as organized crime.

Question 31

What does the conflict subculture involve?

Answer 31

Opportunities for gang violence.

Question 32

What does the retreatist subculture involve?

Answer 32

For failures on other structures, such as turning to substance abuse.

Question 33

Is there evidence that Cloward’s subcultures exist? Why are they useful regardless?

Answer 33

No. But they are useful in demonstrating that not everyone become a successful criminal.

Question 34

What does Albert Cohen’s “Middle Class Measuring Rod” suggest?

Answer 34

Schools and other institutions judge youth according to a ‘middle-class measuring rod’ that lower class youth are ill-prepared to meet.

E.g. sophistication, good appearance, controlling aggression, respect for authority, differed gratification, etc.

Question 35

In Cohen’s theory, what happens to children that do not meet the standard?

Answer 35

They turn to groups to bolster their status. This is often done by being deviant to gain peer support.

As their group status increases, their normal societal status decreases.

Question 36

What is a basic explanation of Anderson’s “Code of the Street”?

Answer 36

Lack of employment opportunities leads to alternative ways of achieving respect; generally by displaying toughness or other forms of dominance.

Question 37

Where did Anderson do his research?

Answer 37

Philadelphia.

Question 38

What are some critiques of strain theory?

Answer 38

Assuming there is a gap between aspirations and expectations. Some research suggests that lower classes have low expectations so strain should be low.

It neglects to explain female crime rates.

Strain theories are static and do not take group interaction into account (except Cohen)

Question 39

What are Braithwaite’s two statements about crime?

Answer 39

1. That crime is prevalent when exposure to illegitimate opportunities is high, and exposure to legitimate opportunities is low.
2. Crime is unlikely when legitimate opportunities are high, and illegitimate opportunities are low.

Question 40

What does Braithwaite say about upper class crime?

Answer 40

They are not more predisposed to crime than lower-class citizens. Lower-class citizens would do the same if they had access to the power than upper-classes have.

Question 41

How does Quinney’s experiment on pharmacists support Braithwaite’s claim?

Answer 41

There were two types of pharmacists; “professionals,” and “business-oriented.”

“Professionals” were bound by guidelines and followed rules.

“Business-oriented” pharmacists believed that being self-employed carried with it freedom from control, and would break pharmaceutical guidelines to achieve wealth.