UNIT 2 QUIZ Flashcards
Robert Merton
theorized that when society goes through rapid social change, normal structure is disrupted.
Strain Theories
developed in response to the early views of biological
theories and the Chicago School.
Five Modes of Adaptation (Goals / Means)
(Anomie Theory)
- conformist
- innovators
- rebels
- retreatists
- ritualists
Conformists
accept the goals and the means to attain them. Only non-deviant
adaptation. Most people adapt to strain through conformity.
Subscribe to the american ideal
Innovators
Accept the goal of success, but reject the ways to attain it. Instead
they turn to illegitimate means. Criminals are most likely in this group.
EX: sell drugs, rob, bank fraud
Rebels
Actively oppose the goals and the means to achieve them. Resist all
society structure (anarchists). Wish to create new goals and new means.
EX: anti-capitalist , anti-wall street
Retreatists
Do not subscribe to the means or goals, but do not actively oppose
them. (homeless, drug users, etc.)
Ritualists
Recognize the means to achieve success, but do not have any desire
to attain it. (blue collar workers, etc.)
Is Anomie Theory a macro or micro theory?
both macro and micro
Is Anomie Theory a general or specific theory?
specific
Robert Agnew proposed there were three sources of strain:
- Failure to achieve valued goals
- Removal of a valued stimuli
- Presentation of a negative stimuli
Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory
Agnew’s conception included the role of negative emotions, particularly anger
* Negative emotions create pressure for corrective action
Is Agnew’s General Strain Theory a macro or micro theory?
micro
Messner and Rosenfeld’s Institutional Anomie Theory
suggests that American culture values financial insinuations over other institutions (education, health, family, community, politics, popular culture)
Is Institutional Anomie Theory a macro or micro theory?
macro
Control Theories
based on Emile Durkheim’s view that individuals are born antisocial
* Control theory takes the position that conformity cannot be taken for granted
* Since crime is fun and rewarding, when controls are absent, crime often does
occur
* Crime should be expected when social controls are absent or ineffective
Charles Cooley’s “Looking-Glass Self”
Child develops concept of “self” by imagining how he/she appears to others
* How others interpret and understand us
George Herbert Mead
Divided the individual into the “I” and the “Me”
* The “I” represents a fundamental awareness of the elf
* This leads to the development of the “social self” or the “me”
Why did Control theories come about?
the 1960s was a time of massive social change which
seemed to signal the collapse of personal and social control
* Civil Rights, Vietnam War, Feminism, Hippies, psychedelic drugs, etc.
Walter Reckless’s Containment Theory
Searched for factors that would explain why some succumb to social pressures to
crime, while others are resilient in the same circumstances
* Resiliency: People who, despite facing many criminogenic risk factors, resist crime
Reckless “pushes” and “pulls”
- Some factors might “push” a person towards crime (biological/psychological, poverty, etc.)
- Other factors might “pull” one toward crime (illegitimate opportunities, criminal peers,
etc.)
Factors in Outer Containment
Reasonable limits or boundaries, laws, meaningful prosocial activities,
group reinforcement, positive relationships, etc.
Factors in Inner Containment
Positive self-concept, goal orientation/direction, tolerance for frustration,
acceptance of norms, etc.
Gresham Sykes & David Matza Five Techniques of Neutralization
- Denial of responsibility: “It’s not my fault!”
- Denial of injury: “It didn’t really hurt anybody!”
- Denial of the victim: “They had it coming!”
- Condemnation of the condemners: “You’ve done it too!”
- Appeal to higher loyalties: “I didn’t do it for myself!”
Travis Hirschi’s social bond theory
The central premise is that crime arises when social bonds are weak or
absent
* A bond is what connects a person to society
Travis Hirschi’s Four Major Social Bonds
- Attachment
- Commitment
- Involvement
- Belief
Attachment
is the emotional closeness youths have with adults (especially
parents)
Commitment
the desire to achieve conventional goals
* Because they invest so much, they do not want to “ruin their future”
Involvement
Amount of time and energy devoted to a given set of activities
Belief
refers to the agreement and approval of prosocial values and norms
* Impressions of opinions that are highly dependent on social reinforcement
Hirschi & Gottfredson’s General Theory of Crime
Self-control is created early in life and is theorized to remain stable throughout
life
* Gottfredson and Hirschi believe it is set by age 10
Gottfredson and Hirschi Three key ways of effective parenting
- Monitoring Behavior
- Recognizing Deviance
- Punishing Appropriately
Gottfredson and Hirschi Six Dimensions of Low
Self-Control
- Impulsivity
- Self-Centeredness
- Temper
- Risk-Seeking Behavior
- Preference for Simple Tasks
- Preference for Physical
Activities
John Hagan’s Power-Control Theory
extended concepts of control theory to
explain gender differences in criminal involvement
* Critical issue is balance of power between parents and how it shapes socialization
Power-Control theory patriarchal families:
parents exercise greater control over females than male
children
* Daughters are socialized to be feminine; sons encouraged to be bold and
aggressive
* The result is that boys have stronger preferences for risk taking increasing crime
Power-Control theory egalitarian families:
parents exercise control over female and male children similarly
* The result is that daughters’ and sons’ risk preferences are more alike, and
therefore, their rate of criminal behavior is similar
