Topic 1 - Functionalist, Strain And Subcultural Theories

Question 1

How do functionalists see society?

Answer 1

As a society based on value consensus, seeing society as sharing a common culture.

Question 2

What is a culture?

Answer 2

A set of shared norms, values, beliefs and goals.

Question 3

What does a shared culture lead to?

Answer 3

Social solidarity, binding individuals together, telling them what to strive for and how to conduct themselves.

Question 4

What two mechanisms do functionalists argue society need to achieve solidarity?

Answer 4

Socialisation and social control

Question 5

Explain what socialisation is?

Answer 5

Instils the shared culture into its members, helping to ensure that individuals internalise the same norms and values, and that they feel it right to act in the ways society requires.

Question 6

Explain social control?

Answer 6

Mechanisms include rewards for conformity, and punishments for deviance. These help to ensure that individuals behave in the way society expects.

Question 7

Functionalists see too much crime as ____________________, they also see crime as __________________.

Answer 7

Destabilising society
Inevitable and universal

Question 8

Who says “crime is normal…an integral part of all healthy society”?

Answer 8

Durkheim

Question 9

Explain the two reasons why crime and deviance is found in all societies

Answer 9

1. Not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values, so some individuals will be prone to deviate
2. In complex modern societies, there is a diversity of lifestyles and values. Different groups have their own subcultures with distinct norms and values, what the members of one subculture may see as normal, mainstream culture may see as deviant.

Question 10

In Durkheim’s view, modern societies tend towards _______ or ________

Answer 10

Anomie
Normalness

Question 11

What does Durkheim mean by anomie?

Answer 11

The rules governing behaviour become weaker and less clear cut.

Question 12

Why has society moved towards anomie?

Answer 12

Modern societies have a complex, specialised division of labour, which leads to individuals becoming increasingly different from one another.

Question 13

What is the result of rules governing behaviour become weaker and less clear cut? Provide an example

Answer 13

Weakness the shared culture. Or collective conscience and results in higher levels of deviance. For example, Durkheim sees anomie as a cause of suicide.

Question 14

For Durkheim not only is crime _______, it also ____________________________________________________.

Answer 14

Inevitable
Fulfils two important positive functions

Question 15

What are the two important positive functions?

Answer 15

1. Boundary Maintenance
2. Adaptation and Change

Question 16

Explain Boundary Maintenance

Answer 16

The idea that crime produces a reaction from society, which unites its members in condemnation of the wrongdoers and reinforcing their commitment to the shred norms and values

Question 17

What is Durkheim’s view of the purpose of punishment?

Answer 17

To reaffirm society’s shared rules and reinforce social solidarity

Question 18

Provide an example of how social solidarity can be reinforced and its effects

Answer 18

Rituals of the courtroom
Dramatising the wrongdoing and publicly shaming the offender whilst stigmatising the offender too.

Question 19

What do the rituals of the courtroom do the both the offender and others?

Answer 19

Reaffirms the values of the law-abiding majority and discourages others from rule breaking

Question 20

Provide an explanation of what Cohen found through his studies

Answer 20

When examining the role media plays in the ‘dramatisation of evil’, in his view media coverage of crime and deviance often creates ‘folk devils’

Question 21

For Durkheim, all changes start with an ________________________________

Answer 21

Act of deviance

Question 22

How does Durkheim view change and adaptation for individuals with new ideas, values and ways of living?

Answer 22

These individuals must not be completely overwhelmed by the weight of social control, there must be some room for them to challenge and change existing norms, this will inevitably appear as deviance

Question 23

What is the view in the long run of adaptation and change? What will the effects be if adaptation isn’t allowed?

Answer 23

In the long run these changes may bring rise to a new culture and morality.
If those with new ideas are suppressed, society will stop and be unable to make necessary changes to return to normal working life.

Question 24

We need to __________ to change ___________

Answer 24

We need to break the law to change the law

Question 25

What are the effects of too little and too much crime?

Answer 25

Too little = society is suppressing and controlling its members too much, not stifling freedom and preventing change
Too much = threatens to tear the bonds of society apart

Question 26

What are the views of other sociologists on Durkheim’s idea of deviance?

Answer 26

Some sociologists have developed Durkheim’s idea that deviance can have positive functions

Question 27

What does Davis say on the functions of crime?

Answer 27

That prosecution acts as a safety valve for the release of male sexual frustrations without threatening the monogamous nuclear family

Question 28

What does Polsky argue?

Answer 28

That pornography safely channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultery, which would place a much greater threat to the family

Question 29

What does Cohen identify?

Answer 29

That the function of deviance is a warning that an institution is not functioning properly, for example high rates of truancy could tell us that the education system is experiencing problems and that policy makers need to make the appropriate changes to it

Question 30

What does Erikson argue? And what does he suggest is the true function of crime?

Answer 30

That if deviance if performing positive social functions then maybe it means that society is actually organised to promote deviance.
He suggests that the true function of agencies of social control such as the police may be to sustain a certain amount of crime rather than rid society of it completely

Question 31

Instead of getting rid of crime completely what do some societies do?

Answer 31

They manage and regulate deviance rather than seeking to eliminate it completely, for example the likes of festivals, sports and student parties license misbehaviour that in other contexts wouldn’t be allowed and may be punished

Question 32

From a functionalist point of view, why may young people be given leeway when it comes to deviance?

Answer 32

As a way of coping with the strain of the transition from childhood to adulthood

Question 33

In what ways are functionalism useful in crime and deviance?

Answer 33

Helpful in showing the ways in which deviance is integral (necessary) to society, providing analysis that directs attention to the way in which deviance can have latent or hidden functions for society

Question 34

Provide three criticisms of the functionalist perspective of crime

Answer 34

1. Whilst it explains the existence of crime in terms of its function to strengthen solidarity, it doesn’t however mean that the reason crime exists in the first place was with the advanced intention to strengthen solidarity
2. They look at what functions crime serve society as a whole but ignore how it might affect different groups of individuals within society, it fails to ask ‘functional for whom?’
3. Crime doesn’t always support solidarity, it may lead people to becoming more isolated, for example forcing women to stay indoors due to fear of attack

Question 35

Define what a strain theory is

Answer 35

A strain theory argues that people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means.

Question 36

How, who and why adapted Durkheim’s concept of anomie ?

Answer 36

Merton adapted Durkheim’s concept of anomie to explain deviance by combining two elements

Question 37

Which two elements did Merton combine to explain Durkheim’s concept of anomie?

Answer 37

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

Question 38

What two things for Durkheim are the result of a strain between? Provide another example

Answer 38

1. The goals that a culture courage’s individuals to achieve
2. What the institutional structure if society allows them to achieve legitimately
   Eg = American culture values “money success” which is the individual material wealth and the high status that goes with it

Question 39

What is the American dream?

Answer 39

The ideology that tells Americans that their society is meritocratic one where anyone who makes the effort can get ahead and that there are opportunities for all.

Question 40

Is society really like the American dream?

Answer 40

No, the american dream is a fantasy, reality is different, there are many disadvantaged groups who are denied opportunity to achieve legitimately. The likes of discrimination in the job market may block opportunities for many ethnic minorities and the lower classes

Question 41

What is the result of the strain between the cultural goal of money success and the lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve?

Answer 41

Produces frustration, creating a pressure to resist to illegitimate means such as crime and deviance.

Question 42

What is the pressure known as for Merton?

Answer 42

The strain to anomie

Question 43

According to Merton the pressure to deviate is further increased by …?

Answer 43

The fact that American culture puts more emphasis on achieving success at any price than upon doing so by legitimate means

Question 44

What does the goal of success and the lack of opportunity create?

Answer 44

A desire to succeed and a lack of opportunity creates a pressure to adopt illegitimate means

Question 45

what does merton use strain theory to explain and what does he argue

Answer 45

he uses strain theory to explain some of the patterns of deviance found in society.

he argues that an individual’s position in the social structure affects the way they adapt or respond to the strain to anomie.

Question 46

how many types of adaptation are there

Answer 46

5

Question 47

name the 5 types of adaptation

Answer 47

conformity
innovation
ritualism
retreatism
rebellion

Question 48

explain conformity

Answer 48

individuals accept the culturally approved goals and strive to achieve them legitimately.

most likely amongst middle class who have good opportunities to achieve, but Merton sees it as the typical response of most Americans

Question 49

explain innovation

Answer 49

individuals accept the goal of money success but use ‘new’, illegitimate means such as theft or fraud to achieve it.

those at the lower end of the class structure are under greatest pressure to innovate

Question 50

explain ritualism

Answer 50

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.

typical of lower-middle class office workers in routine jobs.

Question 51

explain retreatism

Answer 51

individuals reject both the goals and the legitimate means and become dropouts.

Question 52

explain rebellion

Answer 52

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

Question 53

what is an evaluation of merton

Answer 53

merton shows how both normal and deviant behaviour can arise from the same mainstream goals. both conformists and innovators are pursuing money success - one legitimately and the other illegitimately.

Question 54

what are some of the patterns shown in official crime statistics by Merton

Answer 54

• most crime is property crime as American society values material wealth very highly
• lower-class crime rates are higher as they have less opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately.

Question 55

what are some of the criticisms of Merton

Answer 55

• it takes official crime stats at face value, such as over representation of the working-class and too deterministic = working class experience most strain yet don’t all deviate.
• it assumes that there is value consensus, that everyone strives for money success and ignores the possibility that many may not share this goal.

Question 56

what do marxists criticise merton for

Answer 56

• 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 57

provide two more criticism of merton

Answer 57

• it only accounts for utilitarian crime for monetary gain (money), and not crimes of violence and vandalism
• ignores the role of group deviance such as delinquent subcultures.