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SOC 3410 > Unit 2 Exam > Flashcards

Unit 2 Exam Flashcards

1
Q

….argues that people consider the consequences prior to the commission of their behaviors, holds that the decision to violate the law comes after a careful weighing of the benefits, and assumes that people have “free will” to choose their behavior

A

Rational choice/choice theory

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2
Q

Delinquent motives include:

A

Economic need/opportunity
Problem solving
False expectations
Opportunity

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3
Q

The routine activities theory was developed by:

A

Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson

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4
Q

Routine activities theory

A

The view that crime is a normal function of the routine activities of modern living

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5
Q

Violent (predatory) crimes against persons and crimes in which an offender attempts to steal an object from its holder are influenced by three variables:

A

The availability of suitable targets
The absence of capable guardians
The presence of motivated offenders

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6
Q

General deterrence

A

Crime control policies that depend on the fear of criminal penalties, i.e., long prison sentences for violent crieme

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7
Q

A guiding principle of deterrence is based on:

A

The severity of the punishment
The certainty of the punishment
The swiftness of the punishment

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8
Q

There is evidence that adolescents who perceive they will be arrested and punished for a crime will often…delinquent acts

A

forego

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9
Q

Specific deterrence

A

If young offenders are punished severely, they will not repeat their illegal acts, idea is that punishment is severe enough to convince them not to repeat their criminal activity

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10
Q

However, in some cases, experiencing punishment may actually…the likelihood of reoffending

A

increase

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11
Q

Problems with a strict deterrence strategy:

A

Minors are not “rational”
Experienced offenders do not fear the legal consequences
High-risk offenders may not fear getting arrested
Many juveniles are under influence of drugs/alcohol
Juveniles often commit crimes in groups –“co-offending”
Most serious delinquents are not able to comprehend consequences
Punishment may produce defiance, rather than deterrence

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12
Q

Situational crime prevention

A

To reduce delinquency, crime control must recognize the characteristics of sites and situations that are at risk to crime

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13
Q

In situational crime prevention, we must ensure

A

Potential offenders are carefully guarded
The means to commit crime are controlled
Potential offenders are carefully monitored

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14
Q

Criminal atavism

A

Idea that delinquents manifest physical anomalies that make them biologically and psychologically similar to our primitive ancestors

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15
Q

The school of thought is generally believed to have originated with the Italian physician

A

Cesar Lombroso (1835-1909), father of criminology

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16
Q

…argue that a combination of personal traits and environmental factors lead to behavior patterns

A

trait theories

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17
Q

Biosocial theory

A

Focuses on the association between biological makeup, environmental conditions, and antisocial behaviors

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18
Q

Three areas of biosocial theories:

A

Biochemical factors
Neurological function
Genetic history

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19
Q

Neurological dysfunction, such as minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) is associated with

A

antisocial behavior

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20
Q

Arousal theory:

A

“Thrill” and “sensation seekers”

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21
Q

Three prominent psychological perspectives:

A

Psychodynamic theory Behavioral theoryCognitive theory

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22
Q

Psychodynamic theory

A

Branch of psychology that holds that the human personality is controlled by unconscious mental processes

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23
Q

The…theory suggests that an imbalance in personality traits, caused by early childhood, can result in long-term psychological difficulties

A

psychodynamic

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24
Q

Personality consists of three major components:

A

Id
Ego
Superego

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25
Q

Behavioral theory

A

Argument that personality is learned throughout life during interactions with others

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26
Q

…concerns the study of observable behavior, rather than unconscious processes; focuses on particular stimuli and responses to them

A

Behaviorism

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27
Q

Cognitive theory

A

Studies the perception of reality and the mental processes required to understand the world we live in

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28
Q

Personality

A

The stable patterns of behavior, including thoughts and emotions, that distinguish one person from the other

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29
Q

Hans Eysenck’s two traits associate with antisocial behavior:

A

Extraversion, neuroticism

30
Q

Extraversion

A

Impulsive individuals who lack the ability to examine their own motives

31
Q

Neuroticism

A

Individuals who are anxious and emotionally unstable

32
Q

Psychopathic personality

A

Also known as sociopathic or antisocial personality
A person lacking in warmth, exhibiting inappropriate behavior responses, and unable to learn from experience
Defined by persistent violations of social norms

33
Q

Nature theory:

A

Intelligence is inherited and is a function of genetic makeup

34
Q

Nurture theory:

A

Intelligence is determined by environmental stimulation and socialization

35
Q

Delinquency prevention efforts should be directed at…

A

strengthening a youth’s home life and relationships

36
Q

Psychological theories

A

Psychodynamic theory, behavioral theory, and cognitive theory

37
Q

Example of choice theory

A

routine activities

38
Q

Example of biological theory

39
Q

What are the social factors believed to cause or affect delinquent behaviors?

A

Interpersonal interactions, social conditions, poverty, racial disparity

40
Q

Three main sociological theoretical groups:

A

Social structure theories
Social process theories
Critical theories

41
Q

…coined the phrase “culture of poverty”

A

Oscar Louis (1966)

42
Q

culture of poverty

A

The view that lower class people form a separate culture with their own values and norms

43
Q

“Underclass”

A

Group of urban poor whose members have little chance of upward mobility or improvement

44
Q

“truly disadvantaged”

A

William Wilson,
The impoverished are deprived of a standard of living enjoyed by the other citizens
People who are left out of the economic mainstream and living in the deteriorated inner-city

45
Q

Social structure theories tie delinquency rates to:

A

socioeconomic conditions and cultural values

46
Q

Cultural transmission (social disorganization)

A

The process of passing on deviant traditions and delinquent values from one generation to the next

47
Q

Transitional neighborhoods (social disorganization)

A

Teenage gangs develop in areas undergoing decay

48
Q

Social control (social disorganization)

A

The ability of an organized community to regulate itself via formal/informal social control

49
Q

Relative deprivation (social disorganization)

A

Exists when people of wealth and poverty live in close proximity to one another

50
Q

Collective efficacy

A

Process in which mutual trust and a willingness to intervene in the supervision of children and help maintain public order create a sense of well-being

51
Q

Poverty concentration

A

Poverty becomes concentrated to specific area(s) as people flee

52
Q

Strain

A

A condition caused by the failure to achieve one’s social goals

53
Q

Anomie (Robert Merton (1910-2003))

A

Without acceptable means for obtaining success, individuals feel social and psychological strain
Consequently, these youths may use deviant methods to achieve their goals or reject socially accepted goals and substitute deviant ones

54
Q

General strain theory

A

Robert Agnew (general strain: Links delinquency to the strain of being locked out of the economic mainstream, which leads to anger and frustration)

55
Q

Sources of strain

A

Failure to achieve positively valued goals
Removal of positively valued stimuli
Presentation of negative stimuli

56
Q

Cultural deviance theory

A

Links delinquency to the formation of independent subcultures with a unique set of values that clash with the mainstream culture

57
Q

Socialization

A

the process of learning the values and norms of the society or subculture to which the individual belongs

58
Q

Major influences on a child’s socialization:

A

Family relations, school, and peers

59
Q

Sociologists argue that the root cause of delinquency may be traced to…from peers, experiencing conflict in the home, etc.

A

learning delinquent attitudes

60
Q

Differential association theory (Edwin Sutherland):

A

Children are socialized, exposed to, and learn pro-social and antisocial attitudes and behaviors from peers, parents, and so on

61
Q

Social learning theory/social control

A

Posits that delinquency results from a weakened commitment to the major social institutions

62
Q

The social bond and delinquency (Travis Hirschi):

A 
Four main elements
Attachment
Commitment
Belief 
Involvement
63
Q

Social reaction/Labeling theories

A

Delinquency is caused by “stigma” applied by agents of social control, including official and unofficial institutions

64
Q

Labeling theory

A

Society creates deviance through a system of social control agencies that designate certain individuals as delinquent, thereby stigmatizing them and encourage them to accept this negative personal identity

65
Q

Self-fulfilling prophecy (labeling theory)

A

The process by which a person who has been negatively labeled accepts the label as a personal role or identity

66
Q

Critical theory

A

Society is in a constant state of internal conflict,
Those in power use the justice system to maintain their status while keeping others subservient
The poor may or may not commit more crimes than the rich, but they are certainly arrested more often

67
Q

Critical theory view delinquent behavior as

A

a function of the capitalist system’s inherent inequity

68
Q

Reducing, eliminating, preventing delinquency

A

Strengthen the socialization process Prevention programs have also been aimed at strengthening families in crisis Reduce stigma and labeling

69
Q

Critical theories

A

relies on non-punitive strategies for delinquency control

70
Q

anomie (def)

A

Normlessness produced by rapidly shifting moral values; according to Merton, anomie occurs when personal goals cannot be achieved using available means.

SOC 3410 (10 decks)

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