Theories Flashcards
Functionalism sees society based on value consensus, but what two mechanisms does it see as key to achieve solidarity ?
Socialisation- helps to ensure that individuals internalise the same norms and values.
Social control- rewards and punishments that help ensure that individuals behave in a acceptable way.
Durkheim sees crime as ‘normal…an integral part of all healthy societies’. Identify two reasons why there is crime and deviance are in all societies ?
Not everyone is equally effectively socialised into norms and values, so some people will be prone to deviate
There is diversity of lifestyle and values, so what some cultures see as deviant, others may not.
In Durkheims view in modern societies there is a tendency towards anomie (normlessenss), why is this ?
Modern societies have a specialised division of labour, which leads to individuals becoming increasingly different from one another. This results in the shared culture or collective conscience being weakened leading to higher levels of crime and deviance.
Durkheim sees crime as fulfilling two important positive functions. Identify and explain them?
Boundary maintenance- crime produces a reaction from society, uniting everyone in condemnation of the wrongdoer and reinforcing their commitment to norms and values. For Durkheim this explains the function of punishment.
Adaptation and change- All change starts with an act of deviance. Individuals with new ideas, value and way of living mustn’t be stifled by the weight of social control. There must be some reason fro them to challenge existing norms and values, and so in this instance it will appear as an act of deviance.
Identify other positive functions of crime that have been identified by other sociologists ?
Davis- Crime is a safety value. Prostitution is a way of men releasing their sexual frustration without threatening the monogamous nuclear family.
Cohen- it’s a sign of a institution not functioning properly e.g. High rates of truancy may indicate there is problems with the education system, and that there may be some policy changes needed.
Identify and explain 3 criticisms of functionalism (including Durkheims positive functions of crime) ?
Functionalism explains the existence of crime in terms of supposed function e.g. to strengthen social solidarity. yet just because crime does these things, doesn’t mean it exists to do this in the first place. Society didn’t create crime with this intention.
Functionalism looks at society as a whole and the functions crime serves for it. But it doesn’t acknowledge how crime affects individuals or groups within society. Functionalism fails to ask the question ‘functional for whom’.
Crime doesn’t always promote solidarity. It may have the opposite effect, leading people to become more isolated e.g. forcing women to stay inside from fear of being attacked.
What do strain theories argue?
people engage in deviant behavior when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means.
Merton developed the first strain theory in 1938 by adapting Durkheims concept of anomie, but what two factors does Mertons theory combine?
structural factors- society’s unequal opportunity structure.
cultural factors- strong emphasis on success, goals and weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them.
According to Merton deviance is a result of a strain between two things, identify them ?
The goals that culture encourages us to achieve and what the institutions allow us to achieve legitimately.
Explain how the American dream links to Mertons strain theory.
Americans are expected to pursue goals such as ‘money success’ and ‘individual material wealth’ by legitimate means; self discipline, study, educational qualifications etc.
However reality is different; many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities to achieve legitimately for example, poverty and inadequate schooling leading to people using illegitimately means such as crime and deviance to achieve these goals.
Merton calls this the strain to anomie.
There are 5 types of adaptation, depending on whether the individual accepts, rejects or replaces approved cultural goals and legitimate ways to achieve them, identify the 5 types?
Conformity Innovation Ritualism Retreatism Rebellion.
Explain conformity and innovation?
Conformity- people accept these goals and strive to achieve them legitimately.
Innovation- people accept the goal of money success but use new illegitimate means to achieve it e.g. fraud
Explain ritualism, retreatism and rebellion?
Ritualism- People have internalised these goals and legitimate means but have given up trying to achieve them and follow the rules for their own sake.
Retreatism-individuals have rejected both the goals and legitimate means to achieve them and have become dropouts.
Rebellion- Individuals have rejected societies existing goals and have replaced them with new ones in a attempt to bring around revolutionary change and create a new society.
Evaluate Merton and his strain theory?
Merton has showed how both normal and deviant behaviour can arise from the same mainstream goals e.g. both conformists and innovators pursuing money success.
Merton has assumed that there is a value consensus, he assumes everyone is striving for money success, and fails to recognise that some might not be striving for this goal.
It explains how deviance results from individuals adapting to the strain to anomie, but ignores the role of group deviance e.g. delinquent subculture (Cloward and Ohlin)
What are subcultural theories?
Subcultural theories see deviance as the product of a delinquent subculture with different norms and values from those of mainstream society.
Cohen agrees with Merton that deviance is a largely lower class phenomenon. But what does Cohen see as the two main factors contributing to crime and deviance?
social class and status frustration.
Cohen studied working class boys and came up with a theory for why they commit crime. Explain the theory ?
Working class are taught m.c norms and values e.g. deferred gratification instead of immediate gratification. However because W.c children can’t achieve these M.c. norms and values which maybe due to factors such as material deprivation or labelling, they become annoyed at their status and reject the middle class values. So in the frustration at their status, working class children will then form delinquent subcultures to commit non-financial malicious crimes because it’s an alternative way to gain status.
Evaluate Cohens subcultural theory?
Why do the working class only commit non financial malicious crimes? If they lack money surely they’d commit crimes that will provide them with some?
Secondly it doesn’t explain why not all working class commit crime even though they haven’t been able to reach the middle class goals,or how some do reach them without committing crime.
Cloward and Ohlin developed Mertons theory and try to explain what?
how different subcultures react differently to not achieving the american dream
What do Cloward and Ohlin think is the key reason for different reactions between subcultures ?
Not only unequal access to legitimate opportunity structure, but unequal access to illegitimate opportunity structure e.g. not everyone by legitimate means such as schooling, will have the opportunity to become a successful safe cracker.
What do Cloward and Ohlin say about neigbourhood influence ?
They argue that different neighbourhoods provide different illegitimate opportunities for young people to learn criminal skills and develop criminal ideas
Cloward and Ohlin identify three types of subcultures that provide young people with the opportunity to develop criminal skills and a criminal career, what are they ?
Criminal subculture
Conflict subculture
Retreatist subculture
