Theories Flashcards
Social Structure Theories
The view that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime
Social Process Theories
The view that criminality is a function of people’s interactions with various organizations, institutions, and processes in society
Social Reaction Theories
(Labeling Theory)
The view that people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such and they accept those labels as a personal identity
Social Conflict Theories
The view that everyone has the potential to become a criminal, but most people are controlled by their bonds to society. Crimes occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken.
Trait Theories
The view that criminality is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits
Biological Theory
- Diet
- Hypoglycemia
- Hormonal Influences
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Lead Exposure
- Environmental Contaminants
Genetic explanations–Genetic factors
Neurological Explanations–Gene or Trait
Psychological Theory
- Freud: ID (drives), EGO (compensates for the ID), SUPEREGO (moral compass)
- Crime is a result of a weak ego or under-developed superego
Shaw & McKay’s Social Disorganization Theory
A SOCIAL STRUCTURE/DISORGANIZATION THEORY
- -focuses on the breakdown in inner-city neighborhoods of institutions such as the family, school, & employment
- Transitional neighborhood: an area undergoing a shift in population & structure, usually from middle-class residential to lower-class mixed use
Merton’s Theory of Anomie
The view that anomie results when socially defined goals (such as wealth and power) are universally mandated but access to legitimate means (such as education and job opportunities is stratified by class and status
Anomie: A lack of norms or clear social standards. Because of rapidly shifting moral values, the individual has few guides to what is socially acceptable.
Messner & Rosenfeld’s Institutional Anomie Theory
The view that anomie pervades US culture because the drive for material wealth dominates and undermines social and community values
Agnew’s General Strain Theory
Branch of social structure theory that sees crime as a function of the conflict between people’s goals and the means available to obtain them
Cohen’s Delinquent Subculture Theory
INEQUALITY.
- Argues that delinquency is caused by goals blockage
- For lower and working class boys the goal is middle-class status
- adjustment to middle-claass is strained for lower and working class boys; these problems with adjustment increase cohesiveness with similary situated others
- Because the middle-class cannot be obtained legitimately among the group, an alternative system is set up by which success can be obtained
(1) Corner boy
(2) College boy
(3) Delinquent boy
Cloward & Ohlin’s Differential Opportunity Theory
- Incorporates anomie/strain & subculture theory
- the inability to achieve monetary success
Anderson’s Code of the Street
-Argues there are two groups within the communities with different value orientation
(1) Decent families/youth
-majority within the communities
-adhere to mainstream goals & values
-involved in pro-social activities (i.e. church & school)
(2) Street families/ youth
-makeup the oppositional subculture
Structurally blocked out of mainstream
-little faith in the police & judicial system
-Develop the code of the street
—a set of informal rules governing inpersonal public behavior, including violence
—the goal of those adhering to the code is REPSECT
Sutherland & Cressey’s Differential Association Theory
A SOCIAL PROCCES THEORY
- Criminal behavior is learned
- Criminality is learned in interaction with other persons
- criminality occurs within intimate personal groups
- when criminal behavior is learned we have to learn techniques, motives, & drives
- Direction of motives & drive is learned through definition of legal codes as favorable or unfavorable
- A person becomes delinquent because an excess of definitions favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law
- Differential associations may vary in:
- –frequency
- –duration
- –priority
- –intensity - The process of learning criminal behavior by association with criminal and anti-criminal patters involves all of the mechanisms that are involved in any other learning
- While criminal behavior is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those general needs and values noncriminal behavior is an experssion of the same needs & values
