Terminology Flashcards
anomie
a concept originally proposed by Durkheim, which meant normlessness or the chaos that takes place when a society (e.g., economic structure) changes very rapidly
college boy
a type of lower-class male youth who has experienced the same strain and status frustration as his peers but responds to his disadvantaged situation by dedicating himself to doing well in school despite his unlikely chance of success
conflict gang
a type of gang identified by Cloward and Ohlin that tends to develop in neighborhoods with weak stability and little or no organization; gangs are typically relatively disorganized and lack the skills and knowledge to make a profit through criminal activity
corner boy
a type of lower-class male youth who has experienced the same strain and status frustration as others but responds to his disadvantaged situation by accepting his place in society as someone who will somewhat passively make the best of life at the bottom of the social order. As the label describes, such youths often hang out on corners
criminal gang
a type of gang identified by Cloward and Ohlin that forms in lower-class neighborhoods with an organized structure of adult criminal behavior; such gangs tend to be highly organized and stable
delinquent boy
a type of lower-class male youth, identified by Cohen, who responds to strain and status frustration by joining with similar youths to commit crime
innovation
in strain theory, an adaptation to strain in which an individual buys into conventional goals (wealth, success, etc.) but not conventional means of reaching those goals
mechanical societies
in Durkheim’s theory, primitive societies with a simple distribution of labor (e.g., hunters and gatherers) and thus a high level of agreement regarding social norms and rules because nearly everyone is engaged in the same roles
organic societies
in the Durkheimian model, those societies that have a high division of labor and thus a low level of agreement about societal norms, largely because there is such a wide variety of roles
reaction formation
a Freudian defense mechanism applied to Cohen’s theory of youth offending, which involves adopting attitudes or committing behaviors that are opposite of what is expected
rebellion
in strain theory, an adaptation to strain in which an individual buys into the idea of conventional goals and means of reaching them but does not buy into the current conventional means or goals
relative deprivation
the heightened perception of inequality that results when relatively poor people live in close proximity to relatively wealthy people
retreatism
in strain theory, an adaptation to strain in which an individual does not buy into conventional goals and also does not buy into conventional means of reaching them
retreatist gang
a type of gang identified by Cloward and Ohlin that tends to attract individuals who have failed to succeed in both the conventional world and the criminal or conflict gangs of their neighborhoods
ritualism
in strain theory, an adaptation to strain in which an individual buys into conventional means (work, school, etc.) of attaining goals but does not buy into conventional goals (wealth, success, etc.)
