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sociology book 3 - blue book > T1-functionalist strain and subcultural theories > Flashcards

T1-functionalist strain and subcultural theories Flashcards

1
Q

the sociology of crime and deviance is about …

A

rules and rule breaking, who makes and eenforces the rules

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2
Q

functionalists see deviance as .. (4)

A
  • disruption social stbility
  • inevitable
  • and benificial
  • universal
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3
Q

functionalists are interested in … (2)

A
  • cause of deviance eg. blocked opportunities
  • deviant subcultures
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4
Q

deviant subcultures definition

A

groups whos valkue are opposed to wider society

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5
Q

functionalists belive that society is in …

A

concenus - shares a common culture

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6
Q

culture definition

A

set of shared norms (rules ), values, beliefs and goals.

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7
Q

sharing the same culture produces …

A

social solidarity - it binds people together, telling them what to strive for and how to conduct themselves.

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8
Q

solidarity is achieved with two key mechanisms …(2)

A
  • socialisation –> instils the shared culture into its members. this helps to ensure that individuals internalsie thr same norms and values, and that they feel it right to act in the ways that society requires
  • social control –> mechanisms include rewards (or positive sanctions ) for conformity and punishments (negative sanctions) for deviance, this helps to ensure that individuals behave in ways soceity expects
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9
Q

two reasosn why crime and deviance is found in all societies - (2) funct

A
  • not everyone is equally effectivly socialised into the shared norms and values, so some individuals will be prone to deviate
  • there is a diversity of lifestyles and values in modern society. different groups develop their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values, and what the members of the subcultures regard as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant.
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10
Q

durkhiem - anomie

A

modern societys tend towards normlessness - te rules governing behavior become weaker and less clear cut.

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11
Q

anomie and suicide - durkheim

A

anomie is the cause of suicide

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12
Q

anomie in modern society

A

modern societies have a complex, specialised divison of labour, which leads to individuals becoming increasingly differnent from one another. this weakens shared culture or collective consciousness and results in higher levels of deviance.

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13
Q

postive functions of crime (2)

A

-boundary maintinance
adaptation and change

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14
Q
  1. boundary maininance
A

crime produces a reaction frim society, unighting its members in condemnation of the wrongdoer and reinforcing thier commitment to the shared norms and values.

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15
Q
  1. adaptation and change
A

all change starts with an act of deviance. individuls with new ideas, values and ways of living must not be completely stifled by the weight of social control. there musst be some scope for them to challenge and change exsisting norms, values and in the forst instance this will appear as deviance.
eg. religious visionaries

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16
Q

2 ways that crime signals the malunctioning of the social system 2) - durkheim

A
  • too much crime threatens to tear the bonds of society apart
  • too little means that society is repressing and controlling it members too much, stifling individual freedom and preventing change.
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17
Q

kingsly davis (1937+ 1961) - positive function of crime

A

prostetution acts as a safety valve for the rekleaseof mens sexual frustrations without treatning the monogamous nucear family

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18
Q

Ned polsky (1967) - postive function of crime

A

argues that porn safely channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultury, which would pose a much greater threat to the family.

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19
Q

Albert cohen - positive function of deviance

A
  • deviance acts as a warning that an institution is not functioning properly
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20
Q

kai erikson (1966)

A

crime/ deviance is inevitable. if deviance performs positive social functions then perhaps society is supposed to promote deviance . he suggests that the true function of agenncies of control is actually to maintain a certain level of crime ratger than rid society of it.

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21
Q

critisisms of durkheim (4)

A
  • does not say what the right amount of crime is
  • does not explain why the crime exists
  • ignores how it may effect diffenren groups
  • not all crime reinforces solidarity eg. women become isolated
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22
Q

what is strain theory

A

suggests that people engage in devaint behavior when they are unable to achieve sociallu approved goals by legitimate means.

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23
Q

mertons explainations explains what 2 factors (2)

A
  • structural –> societies unequal opportunities structure
  • cultural –> the strong empasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitaimate means go achieve them
24
Q

who came up with strain theory

A

merton

25
Q

what causes deviance - according to strain theory

A
  • the goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve
  • what institutional structure of society allows them to acheive legotimatly
26
Q

merton - american dream

A

high monetary success
- society is meticiocratic

27
Q

how does strain between the cultral goal of money success and the lack of legitimate opportunities cause deviance

A

creates frustrations which causes people to resort to crime, illegitimate means

28
Q

explaian why there are different deviant adaptations to strain - merton

A
  • he argues that an individuals position in the social structure affects the way they or respond to anomie
29
Q

name all the deviant adaptations to strain- merton (5)

A
  • conformity
  • innovation
  • ritualism
  • reatreatism
  • rebellion
30
Q

conformity - merton

A

individuals acceot the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them ligitimatley - m/c

31
Q

innovation - merton

A

individuals accept the goal of monetary success but use new legotimate means such as theft or fraud

32
Q

ritualism - merton

A

individuals give up on trying to achive goals but have internalised the legitimate means and so they follow he rules for their own sake

33
Q

retreatism - merton

A

individuals reject the goals and legitimate means - becoming dropoust

34
Q

rebellion - merton

A

individuals reject the current societies goals and means, instead replacing them with mew ones in a desire to bring change and a new society

35
Q

evaulation of merton - strain theory - positive

A

explains the patterns found on the crime stats

36
Q

evaulation of merton - strain theory - negative (5)

A
  • crime stats overrepersent the workinh class
  • determanistic
    marxists siggest tha ot ignotes the power of the ruling class
  • assumes that there is a value concensus
  • only accounts for ulitarian crimes
  • ignores the role of group deviance
37
Q

subcultural strain theories (3)

A

cohen
cloward and ohlin
lea and young

38
Q

what do subcultural strain theories say about deviance

A

deviance is the product of a deliquent subculture with different values from those of mainstream society

39
Q

sub cultures provide - subcultural straian

A

an alternative opprtunity structure for those who are denied the chance to achive by legitimate means

40
Q

who is most likely to be denied chance to achive with legitimate means

A

the w/c

41
Q

subcultures are a soloution to a problem

A

they are functional for their members and wider society

42
Q

COHEN - STATUS FRUSTRATION + merton

A

agrees with merton that deviance is mainly a lower class phenomenon.

it results from the inability of those in the lower classes to achive mainstream goals by legitimate means

43
Q

COHEN CRITICISES MERTON (2)

A
  • merton ignores group deviance
  • merton focuses on ulitarian crime
44
Q

cohen focuses on and frustration in schls

A

deviance amongst working class boys. he argues that they face anomie in the middle class dominated school, they suffer from cultural deprivation and lack the skills to achieve. their inability to succeed leaves them at the bottom of the heirachy

45
Q

resolving status frustration

A

by rejecting mainstream m/c values and turn to other boys instead forming or joining eviant subcultures

46
Q

the delinquent subculture inverts ….

A

the values of mainstream society

47
Q

cohen - subculture function

A

offers boys alternative status heirarchy in which they can achieve. - creaing own illigitimate opportunities

48
Q

one stregnth of cohens subcultural theory

A

offers an explination of non ulitarien crimes/ deviance

49
Q

one weakness of cohens subcultural thoery

A

assumes w/c boys start off sharing m/c goals, which they reject when failing. ignores the possibility that they never had these goals nor saw themsleves as failures

50
Q

cloward and ohlin - 3 subcultures

A

different subcultures respond in different ways to the lack of legitimate opportunities. not every turns to innovation suchas theft

51
Q

reason for different subculture responses - cloward and ohlin

A

the key reason is not only unequal access to legitimate opprtunities but also unequal access to the illigitimate opportnuites structure.

52
Q

cloward and ohlin - dfferent neighboured subcultural theory

A

diferent neightbourhoods provide soffrent illigiytimate oppirtubites for ypooungf peole to learn criminal skills and develop criminal carears.

53
Q

3 types of deviant subcltures- cloward and ohlin

A
  • criminal
  • conflict
  • retreatist
54
Q

criminal subcultures - cloward and ohlins

A

provides youth with an apprentership for a career in ulitarien crime - neighbourhoods with longstanding and established criminal cultur eand heorarchy - role models and career ladder

55
Q

conflict subcultures - cloward and ohlin

A

high population turnover - disorgqnosation, only illigitemante means are avaliable

56
Q

retreatist subcultures - clowards and ohlin

A

in any neighnborugiod,

57
Q
A

sociology book 3 - blue book (11 decks)

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