Topic 1- Fuctionalist , Strain And Subcultural Theories

Question 1

What are the 2 key mechanisms that functionalists believe society has to achieve social solidarity ?

Answer 1

Socialisation - instils the shared culture into its members
Social control - mechanisms include rewards (positive sanctions ) for conformity and punishments (negative sanctions ) for deviance

Question 2

What do functionalists believe about the likeliness of crime and deviance ?

Answer 2

Functionalists see crime as inevitable and universal , every known society has some level of crime and deviance

Question 3

What did Durkheim say about crime ?

Answer 3

“Crime is normal … an integral part of all healthy societies “

Question 4

What are the 2 reasons functionalist argue that Crime and deviance are found in all societies ?

Answer 4

-not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values so some individuals will be prone to deviate
-In complex modern societies , there is a diversity of lifestyles and values . Different groups develop their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values and what the members of the subculture regard as Normal , mainstream culture may see as deviant

Question 5

What are the 2 positive functions of crime put forward by Durkehim in his functionalist theory ?

Answer 5

1.Boundary maintenance
2.Adaptation and change

Question 6

Durkheim positive function of crime - What is meant by boundary maintenance ?

Answer 6

Boundary maintenance - where crime produces a reaction from society , uniting its members in condemnation of the wrongdoer and reinforcing their commitment to the shared norms and values

Question 7

Durkheim positive function of crime - Boundary maintenance - what is the purpose of punishment according to Durkheim ?

Answer 7

In Durkheim view the purpose of punishment is to reaffirm society’s shared rules and reinforce social solidarity

Question 8

Durkheim positive function of crime - Boundary maintenance - An example of boundary maintenance and the purpose of it ?

Answer 8

An example of boundary maintenance is through the rituals of a courtroom which dramatises the wrongdoing and publicly shame and stigmatise the offender . This reaffirms the values of law abiding majority and discourages others from rule breaking

Question 9

Durkheim positive function of Crime - Adaptation and change - what does Durkheim mean by adaptation and change ?

Answer 9

For Durkheim , all change starts with an act of deviance . Individuals with new ideas , values and ways of living mustn’t be completely stifled by the weight of social control . There must be some scope for them to challenge and change existing norms and values and in first instance this will appear as deviance

Question 10

Why does Durkheim believe too much or too little crime isn’t desirable ?

Answer 10

Each signals some malfunctioning of the social system
-too much crime threatens to tear the bonds of society apart
-too little crime means that society is repressing and controlling their members too much , stifling individual freedom and preventing change

Question 11

What was another positive functions of crime put forward by Davis ?

Answer 11

Davis argues that prostitution acts as a safety valve for the release of men’s sexual frustrations without threatening the nuclear family

Question 12

What was another positive function of crime put forward by Polsky ?

Answer 12

Polsky argues that pornography safely channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultery which would pose a much greater threat to the family

Question 13

What was another function of deviance put forward by Cohen ?

Answer 13

Cohen identifies another function of deviance , a warning that an institution isn’t functioning properly . For example high rates of truancy may tell us that there are problems with the education system and that policy makers need to make appropriate changes to it

Question 14

What is a criticism of Durkheim’s functionalist theory ?

Answer 14

For Durkheim society requires a certain amount of deviance to function successfully , but he offers no way of knowing how much is the right amount

Question 15

What are criticisms of functionalism regarding society as whole ?

Answer 15

Functionalism looks as what functions crime serves for society as a whole but ignores how crime might affect different groups or individuals within society .
For example , seeing a murderer punished for his crime might be functional in reinforcing solidarity among the rest of society but isn’t functional for the victim , functionalism misses this because it fails to ask , functional for whom ?

Question 16

What are criticisms of Functionalism regarding solidarity ?

Answer 16

Crime doesn’t always promote solidarity . It may have the opposite effect , leading to people becoming more isolated . For example forcing women to stay indoors for fear of attack

Question 17

What are Strain theories ?

Answer 17

Strain theories argue that people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means

Question 18

What are the 2 elements that Merton’s strain theory combines ?

Answer 18

1.structural factors - society’s unequal opportunity structure
2.Cultural factors - the strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them

Question 19

For Merton what is deviance a result of strain between 2 things ?

Answer 19

-the goals that a culture encourages individuals to achieve
-what the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately

Question 20

How are Americans meant to achieve the American dream ?

Answer 20

Americans are expected to pursue their goal of the American dream through legitimate means eg self discipline , study , educational qualifications sand hard work in a career .

Question 21

What is the ideology of the American dream ?

Answer 21

The ideology of the American dream tells Americans that their society is a meritocratic one where anyone who makes the effort can get ahead - there are opportunities for all

Question 22

What is the reality of the American dream ?

Answer 22

The reality of the American dream is very different from the ideology because many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities to achieve legitimately . For example , poverty , inadequate schools and discrimination in the job market may block opportunities for many ethnic minorities and lower classes

Question 23

What happens due to some not being able to achieve the American dream through legitimate means ?

Answer 23

The strain between the cultural goal of money success and the lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve produces frustration which in turn creates pressure to resort to illegitimate means such as crime and deviance

Question 24

What does Merton argue the pressure to deviate further is increased by ?

Answer 24

Merton argues the pressure to further deviate is increased by the fact that the American culture puts more emphasis on achieving success at any price than upon doing so by legitimate ,earns . Winning the game becomes more important than playing by the rules

Question 25

What are the 5 deviant adaptations to strain according to Merton ?

Answer 25

1.Conformity
2.Innovation
3.Ritualism
4.Retreatism
5.Rebellion

Question 26

Merton deviant adaptation to strain - what is Conformity and who are most likely to conform ?

Answer 26

Conformity - individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately . This is most likely among middle class individuals who have good opportunities to achieve legitimately

Question 27

Merton deviant adaptation to strain - what is innovation and who are most likely to innovate ?

Answer 27

Innovation - individuals accept the goal of money success but use new illegitimate means such as theft and fraud to achieve it , those at the lower end of the class structure are under greatest pressure to innovate

Question 28

Merton deviant adaptations to strain - what is ritualism and who are most likely to practice ritualism ?

Answer 28

Ritualism - individuals give up on trying to achieve the goals but have internalised the legitimate means and so they follow the rules for their own sake . This is typical of lower middle class office workers in dead end ,routine jobs

Question 29

Merton deviant adaptations to strain - what is retreatism and who are most likely to practise reatreatism ?

Answer 29

Retreatism - individuals reject both the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts . Merton uses drug addicts as examples

Question 30

Merton deviant adaptations to strain - what is rebellion and who are most likely to rebel ?

Answer 30

Rebellion - individuals reject the existing societies goals and means , but they replace them with new ones in a desire to bring about revolutionary change and create a new kind of society . Rebels include political radicals and counter cultures such as hippies

Question 31

What are criticisms of Merton ?

Answer 31

-it takes official crime statistics at face value . These over represent working class crime so crime is seen as a working class phenomenon which is untrue
-too deterministic - the working crime experience the most strain yet they don’t all deviate
-it assumes there is a value consenus - that everyone strives for money success but ignores the possibility that some may not share this goal
-it only accounts for utilitarian crime for monetary gain and not crimes of violence , vandalism etc
-it explains how deviance results for individual adaptations to strain but ignores the role of group deviance such as delinquent subcultures

Question 32

How do Marxists criticism Merton’s strain theory ?

Answer 32

Marxists argue that it ignores the power of the ruling class to make and enforce the laws in ways that criminalise the poor but not the rich

Question 33

What do subcultural strain theories see deviance as a result of ?

Answer 33

Subcultural strain theories see deviance as the product of a delinquent subculture who have different values from those of mainstream society
They see subcultures as providing an alternative opportunity structure for those who are denied to achieve through legitimate means

Question 34

How does Cohen’s strain theory criticise Merton ?

Answer 34

-Merton ignores deviance as an individual response to strain , ignoring the fact that Much deviance is committed in or by groups , especially among the young.
-Merton focuses on utilitarian crime committed for material gain such as theft and fraud , he largely ignores crimes such as assault and vandalism which may have no economic motive

Question 35

How does Cohen’s subcultural theory explain deviance ?

Answer 35

Cohen focuses on deviance among working class boys. He believes they suffer from cultural deprivation. As a result of them being able to achieve status by legitimate means (education) the boys suffer from status frustration.
In cohen’s view they resolve their frustration by rejecting mainstream middle class values and Turning to boys in the same situation and forming or joining delinquent subcultures

Question 36

What does cohen’s theory believe is a function of the delinquent subcultures which the working class boys form ?

Answer 36

Cohen believes the subcultures function is that it offers boys an alternative status hierarchy in which they can achieve through illegitimate means where they win status from their peers through their delinquent actions

Question 37

What is a strength of Cohen’s subcultural theory ?

Answer 37

• offers an explanation of non utilitarian crime such as vandalism and truancy unlike Merton where crime is only committed for economic gain ,

Question 38

What is a criticism of Cohen’s subcultural theory ?

Answer 38

-Like Merton , Cohen assumes that working class boys start off sharing middle class success goals , only to reject these when they fail . He ignores the possibility that they didn’t share these goals in the first place so never saw themselves as failures

Question 39

How does Cloward and Ohlin subcultural theory try to explain deviance ?

Answer 39

Cloward and Ohlin recognise different subcultural responses occurs due to unequal access to legitimate opportunity structure but also illegitimate opportunity Structure

Question 40

What are the 3 subculture that Cloward and Ohlin recognise ?

Answer 40

-Criminal subcultures
-Conflict subcultures
-Retreatist subcultures

Question 41

What do Cloward and Ohlin mean by a criminal subculture and where are they likely to arise ?

Answer 41

-provide youths for an apprenticeship for a career in utilitarian crime unlike Merton
-They arise in neighbourhoods with a longstanding and stable criminal culture
-which allows the young to associate with adult criminals who can provide training for a criminal career

Question 42

What do Cloward and Ohlin mean by a conflict subcultures and where are they likely to arise ?

Answer 42

-in areas of high population turnover
-which results in high levels of social disorganisation and prevents a stable professional criminal network developing
-its absence means that the only illegitimate opportunities are available within loosely organised gangs
-In these , violence provides a release for Young men’s frustration at their blocked opportunities , as well as status from winning their territory from rival gangs most similar to cohen’s explanation

Question 43

What did Cloward and Ohlin mean by a retreatist subculture and where are they likely to arise ?

Answer 43

-in any neighbourhood
-not anyone who aspires to be a professional criminal actually succeeds
-they become double failures - those who fail in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunity structures

Question 44

Evaluation (criticisms) of Cloward and Ohlin subcultural Theory ?

Answer 44

-believe crime is a working class phenomenon so ignore crimes of the wealthy
-their theory over predicts the amount of working class crime
-they ignore the wider power structure , including those who make and enforce the law

Question 45

Evaluation (strengths) of Cloward and Ohlin subcultural theory ?

Answer 45

-they agree that delinquent subcultures are the source of deviance like Cohen but unlike cohen they provide an explanation for different types of working class deviance in terms of different subcultures

Question 46

Criticism of Cloward and Ohlin subcultural theory by Miller ?

Answer 46

Miller argues that the lower class has its own independent subculture separate from mainstream culture , with its own values . This subculture didn’t value success in the first place so its members are not frustrated by failure
The working class try to achieve their own goals not the ones of mainstream society

Question 47

Criticisms of Cloward and Ohlin subcultural theory by Matza ?

Answer 47

Matza claims that most delinquents are not strongly committed to one delinquent subcultures as the strain theories suggest , but merely drift in and out of delinquency

Question 48

What is an example of a recent strain theory ?

Answer 48

Institutional anomie theory

Question 49

What is the institutional anomie theory (Messer and Rosenfeld) and what does it believe leads to crime

Answer 49

Focuses on the American dream , they argue that the obsession with money success and the winner takes all mentality exerts pressure Towards crime by which people are encouraged to adopt an anything goes mentality in pursuit of wealth as economic goals are valued above all
Therefore high crime rates are inevitable