Topic 1- Functionalist, strain and subcultural theories Flashcards
1
Q
What do functionalists see crime as?
A
- See crime as inevitable and they believe it is a threat to social order
2
Q
According to Functionalist why is crime inevitable ?
A
- Firstly because not everyone is equally effectively socialised into the shared norms and values, so some individuals are more likely to deviate
- Secondly, in complex modern societies, there is a lot of diversity of lifestyles and values. So different groups develop subcultures with each one having different norms and values and different definitions of normal, leading to mainstream society seeing it as deviant
3
Q
According to Durkheim what 2 important functions does crime perform?
A
- Boundary maintenance, crime helps to strengthen social norms by triggering a reaction from society, such as punishments. Durkheim believes that the purpose of punishments is not to make the wrongdoer amend their ways but is to reinforce society’s shared rules and social solidarity, this is done through courtrooms which dramatise wrongdoing and publicly shame the offender which discourages deviance
- Adaption and change, crime and deviance enables social change by challenging outdated norms , as Durkheim believes that all change starts with an act of deviance. For example new religious movements may be seen as deviant but can be accepted later leading to societal progression
4
Q
What are the weaknesses of the two functions of crime according to Durkehim?
A
- Ignores structural barriers that prevent individuals from enabling change
- Assumes all punishments are fair and serve a positive function , as some may reinforce inequality
- Crime does not always promote solidarity it may have the opposite effect leading to people isolating more for example forcing women to stay indoors because of a fear of an attack
5
Q
Which sociologist help to expand on Durkheim’s idea that deviance has positive functions
A
- Polsky argues that pornography safely channels a variety of sexual desires away from alternatives such as adultery which would threaten the nuclear family
6
Q
What do other sociologist argue the function of crime is?
A
- Cohen helps to explain that crime helps to act as a warning that society is not functioning properly
7
Q
What do Strain theories argue?
A
- argue that people engage in deviant acts when they are unable to achieve culturally approved goals in the legitimate way
- for example they may become frustrated and resort to criminal means of getting what they want
8
Q
What does Merton’s strain theory argue?
A
- That the concept of the American dream promotes the idea that success is achievable for anyone through hard work, self discipline and education.
- American culture encourages individuals to pursue financial success through legitimate means in a meritocratic society
- However in reality many disadvantaged groups face structural barriers such as poverty and inadequate education
- Thus creates a strain between achieving success and the lack of legitimate opportunities which creates frustration and thus creates pressure for individuals to resort to crime to achieve success
9
Q
What are 3 responses to strain?
A
- Innovation, individuals accept success as a goal but use illegitimate means
- rebellion, people reject existing societal vales and replace them with new ones
- conformity, most people in society conform by accepting both cultural goals and following legitimate rules
10
Q
What do subcultural strain theories argue?
A
- That deviance results from a subculture that has different values from mainstream society
- They believe that these subcultures provide alternative opportunities for those who have been denied the chance to achieve success through legitimate, particularly the working class
11
Q
What grounds does Cohen criticise Merton on?
A
- says that merton sees deviance as an individual response to strain ignoring the fact that much deviance is committed in groups
- says that merton focuses on utiliterian crime and ignores crimes such as assault or vandalism
12
Q
What does Cohen argue?
A
- Argues that working class boys suffer from cultural deprivation and a lack of skills to achieve
- As a result they experience status frustration when they fail to achieve success through education
- They then resolve their frustration by rejecting mainstream middle class values and forming delinquent sub cultures with other boys in their position
13
Q
What is an Alternative status hierarchy according to Cohen?
A
- Cohen says this is where the delinquent subcultures turn main stream society’s values upside down
- So whatever society condemn, the subculture praise such as vandalism
- In this they boys are able to create their own legitimate way of achieving success
14
Q
What is weaknesses and strengths of cohens arguement ?
A
- A strength is that it offers an argument for non-utilitarian offences
- A weakness is that he assumes that working class boys start of sharing middle class success goals and ignores the possibility that they didnt share this in the first place
- another weakness is that it doesnt explain why some conform
15
Q
What do Cloward and Ohlin argue?
A
- Build Cohens idea but argue that different types of subcultures emerge depending on the availability of illegitimate opportunities
- argue that different neighborhood’s provide different illegitimate opportunities for young people to develop criminal careers
16
Q
What 3 subcultures do Cloward and Ohlin discover?
A
- Criminal subcultures, which provide youths with an apprenticeship in a career in utilitarian crime in neighborhoods with an already established hierarchy of crime, this allows young people to associate themselves with adult criminals who provide them with criminal training
- Conflict subcultures, form in areas with social disorganisation and a lack of crime network which leads to gang violence
- Retreatist subcultures, in any neighborhood, and consists of people who failed both in legitimate and illegitimate opportunities often turning to drugs and alcohol
17
Q
What is A03 of Cloward and Ohlin?
A
- Their theory over predicts the amount of working class crime and they ignore the wider power structure like who makes and enforces the law
- Doesnt explain white collar crime or female deviance
- Miller argues that the working class has its own independant subculture seperate from mainstream society with its own values
