Topic 1: Functionalist, strain and subcultural theories

Question 1

What is Durkheim’s functionalist theory?

Answer 1

Sees society as based on value consensus. In order to achieve this, society has two key mechanisms. Socialisation + Social control.

Question 2

Define Socialisation.

Answer 2

Instils shared culture into its members. This helps to ensure that individuals internalises the same norms and values.

Question 3

Define Social Control.

Answer 3

Rewarding for conformity and punishments for deviance, ensures individuals behave in the way that society expects.

Question 4

How does functionalists view crime?

Answer 4

View crime as inevitable and universal. Too much or too little crime will destabilise society.

Question 5

Why is crime and deviance found in society?

Answer 5

1) People are socialised differently, making people more prone to deviate
2)There is a diversity of life styles and values, groups develop subcultures which may see mainstream cultures as deviant.

Question 6

What does Durkheim believe about modern societies + crime?

Answer 6

Societies are normless (Anomie). Authorities have become weaker because of people differentiating. This weakens the Collective Conscience and causes deviance.

Question 7

What is Anomie?

Answer 7

Anomie reflects an individuals moral confusion and lack of direction.

Question 8

What does Durkheim believe Anomie does?

Answer 8

Causes an increase in deviation and suicide.

Question 9

What are two important positive functions of crime

Answer 9

1- Boundary maintenance
2- Adaptation and change

Question 10

How is boundary maintenance a positive function of crime?

Answer 10

Unites members in condemnation of wrongdoer, reinforces laws.
Durkheim - explains the function of punishment which is to reaffirm social solidarity and discourage others from doing wrong.

Question 11

How is adaptation and change a positive function of crime?

Answer 11

All change starts with deviance, people with new ideas usually are deviant which changes norms and values over time. Ex. The suffragettes were deviant but norms changed to allow women to vote.

Question 12

What does Durkheim believe happens when crime gets too high in a society?

Answer 12

Too much crime threatens to tear the bonds of society apart.

Question 13

What does Durkheim believe happens when crime gets too little in society?

Answer 13

Too little crime means that society is repressing and controlling its members too much, stopping individual freedom and preventing change.

Question 14

What does Davis (1937:1967) say about the function of crime?

Answer 14

Prostitution acts to safely release men’s sexual frustrations without threatening the monogamous nuclear family.

Question 15

What does Polski (1967) say about the function of crime?

Answer 15

Pornography safely channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultery which would pose a threat to the family.

Question 16

What does Cohen say about the function of deviance?

Answer 16

It’s a warning that an institution is not working properly, ex. high rates of truancy tells us theres something wrong with the education system.

Question 17

What does the functionalist Erikson (1966) say about the function of crime?

Answer 17

Perhaps society is actually organised so as to promote deviance. Suggests that social control produces crime rather than stopping it using labelling theory.

Question 18

Give 4 criticisms of the functionalist view.

Answer 18

1- Durkheim doesn’t specify the correct amount of crime and deviance is good for society
2- Functionalists suggest society creates crime in advance with intention of strengthening solidarity.
3- Functionalists look at how crime affects society as a whole not individual groups
4- Crime doesn’t always produce solidarity and can isolate people instead

Question 19

What are strain theories?

Answer 19

Argue that people exchange in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means

Question 20

Who developed the first strain theory?

Answer 20

Robert. K. Merton (1938)

Question 21

What is Merton’s strain theory?

Answer 21

Combines two elements, Structural factors and Cultural factors. He believes that deviance is a strain between society’s encouraged goals and what society allows them to achieve.

Question 22

What are Structural factors?

Answer 22

Society’s unequal opportunity structure

Question 23

What are Cultural factors?

Answer 23

Success goals in a culture.

Question 24

Give an example of Merton’s strain theory in action

Answer 24

The goal (e.g american dream) and lack of opportunity creates a pressure to adopt illegitimate means. Norms are not strong enough to prevent this.

Question 25

What are the 5 adaptations to strain

Answer 25

Conformity
Innovation
Ritualism
Retreatism
Rebellion

Question 26

Conformity as an adaptation to strain

Answer 26

Where people accept society’s goals and try to achieve legitimately

Question 27

Innovation as an adaptation to strain

Answer 27

Where people accept society’s goals, but use illegitimate means to gain them

Question 28

Ritualism as an adaptation to strain

Answer 28

Where people give up on society’s goals but have internalised the illegitimate means

Question 29

Retreatism as an adaptation to strain

Answer 29

Where people reject both society’s goals and the legitimate means

Question 30

Rebellion as an adaptation to strain

Answer 30

Where people reject society’s goals but replace them with their own and seek revolutionary change

Question 31

How does Merton explain his strain theory using crime statistics?

Answer 31

-Most crime is property crime, American society values material. wealth
-W/C crime rates are higher because they have least opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately.

Question 32

How is Merton’s strain theory criticised?

Answer 32

-Not all W/C deviates
-Marxists say it ignores power of ruling class
-Assumes there is a value consensus, ignores possibility that not all may share the goal

Question 33

How does Cohen (1955) criticise Merton’s strain theory?

Answer 33

Merton sees deviance as an individual response, ignoring groups that commit deviance
Focuses on utilitarian crime for financial gain, ignores crime such as assault and vandalism, which have no economic gain.

Question 34

What does Cohen focus on?

Answer 34

Deviance among working class boys, says they face Anomie in M/C dominated education system

Question 35

How does Cohen say working class boys suffer with status frustration?

Answer 35

By being unable to achieve status by legitimate means (education)

Question 36

How do working class boys resolve their frustration according to Cohen?

Answer 36

By rejecting mainstream middle-class values and forming or joining a delinquent subculture

Question 37

What is the Alternative status hierarchy according to Cohen?

Answer 37

In delinquent subcultures, it offers illegitimate ways of achieving status. from their peers through delinquent. actions

Question 38

What is one strength of Cohen’s theory?

Answer 38

Offers an explanation of non-utilitarian violence such as vandalism and truancy.

Question 39

What is a criticism of Cohen’s theory?

Answer 39

-Assumes W/C boys start sharing M/C values only to reject them when they fail.
-Ignores possibility that they didn’t share these goals to begin with.

Question 40

What do Cloward and Ohlin agree with Cohen on?

Answer 40

That W/C youths are denied legitimate opportunities

Question 41

What is Cloward and Ohlin (1960)’s summarised idea?

Answer 41

They believe that different subcultures respond in different ways to both the lack of legitimate opportunities they have and their lack of illegitimate opportunities

Question 42

What is Cloward and Ohlin’s neighbourhood theory?

Answer 42

Different neighbourhoods provide illegitimate opportunities to learn criminal skills

Question 43

Criminal subcultures

Answer 43

Provide youths with a gateway into crime, this only happens in neighbourhoods with long-lasting criminal cultures

Question 44

Conflict subcultures

Answer 44

High population turnover, prevents stable criminal network developing, only illegitimate means is loosely organised crimes.

Question 45

Retreatist subcultures

Answer 45

Have no professional crime culture, people with no goals normally become retreatists (drug takers etc)

Question 46

Who presented the institutional anomie theory?

Answer 46

Messner and Rosenfield (2001)

Question 47

Summarise the institutional anomie theory.

Answer 47

The American dream promotes the idea that wealth can be gained by any means, there by promoting monetary gain by illegitimate means