Week 3 : Sociological Perspectives Flashcards
Prescriptive vs proscriptive
What a given society considers acceptable is defined through two types of norms:
1. Prescriptive (what we should do)
2. Proscriptive (what we shouldn’t do)
Emile Durkheim
Structural functionalism = social structures work together to promote a stable + harmonious society
Theories of social order can be classified in terms of 3 paradigms…
- Consensus (Durkheim, society interrelated set of parts) = crime as the product of the social structure
- Symbolic interactionism = crime as the product of social processes
- Conflict (Marx, societies powerful ppl) = crime as the produce of social conflict
(Social structural) The Human ecological school
- drew on biology and human geography
- assumes characteristics of the physical and social environment could precipitate crime, that human behavior is a product of the social environment, and that the environment defines the boundaries of our cultural values and behaviors
(social structural) Concentric-circle theory
- divides city into 5 zones, each characterized by different social + organizational elements…
1 = Business district
2 = cheap/rundown, immigrants, factories
3 = Working class
4 = middle class residential
5 = wealth residential commuter area
(social structural) Social disorganization theory
- Shaw + McKay
- differing rates of delinquency could be attributed to differences in the physical and social environment across the geographic area
- high delinquency rates in zone 2 reflected a social structure referred to as social disorganization
- 4 elements contribute to social disorganization…
1. low economic status
2. ethnic diversity
3. high mobility
4. family disruption
(social structural) Anomie (Durkheim)
- where social order breaks down, and social norms lose their influence, anime develops, and crime increases significantly
- regarded crime as a natural an inevitable element of society, and he recognized two types of criminals
1. Altruistic criminals = Can’t integrate to society cuz of a decline in economic wellbeing + is offended by the rules of society, and seeks to change them for the better
2. Common Criminals = rejects the norms of society and intentionally violates laws with little regard for the rights of others
(social structural) Merton’s strain theory
- Emotional turmoil and conflict resulting form individuals’ inability to achieve socially approved goals through legitimate means
- based theory on 4 assumptions…
1. all modern societies have a core of common values called social solidarity
2. many of the members of modern societies have internalised their own society’s values and failure to achieve this results in status frustration
3. the most significant values channel energy towards the achievement of certain success goals
4. all members of his society do not have an equal opportunity to use socially approved means to attain socially approved goals
Merton’s strain theory : 5 model of adaptation
- Conformity = internalized goals + legitimate means
- Innovation = Accept institutionalized goals but use illegitimate means of achieving them
- Ritualism = Accept institutionalized goals but don’t put effort into pursuing them
- Retreatism = ppl who reject both, social dropouts
- Rebellion - reject entire system + wanna replace it
(social structural) Agnew’s general strain theory
- Looks at amomie/strain theory from a micro level social psychological perspective + focuses on how negative relationships can compel people into committing crime
- says strain is caused by failure to achieve certain goals + identified 3 kinds of strain…
1. failure to achieve positively valued goals
2. removal of positively valued stimuli from the individual
3. presentation of negative stimuli
We have differing abilities on how to cope
(social processing) Sutherland’s differential association (DA) theory
Based on 9 fundamental principles…
1. CRIME Learned through cultural transmission
2. Learned in direct interaction with other persons in the process of communication
3. Principal part of learning of criminal behaviour occurs within intimate groups
4. Process of learning includes techniques and motives
5. Specific direction of motives and drives is learned from definitions of legal codes as favourable or unfavourable
6. Becomes delinquent because of an excess of definitions favourable to law violations
7. DA may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity
8. Process of learning includes all mechanisms involved in learning
9. Criminal behaviour is an expression of general needs and values
(social processing) Social bond theory
- Hirschi
- People form bonds with their social institutions….
(1) Attachment
(2) Commitment
(3) Involvement
(4) Belief
(social processing) Neutralization theory
- Sykes and Matza…
- focus on motives called techniques of neutralization (to rationalize deviance)…
- Denial of responsibility
- Denial of injury
- Denial of victim
- Condemnation of the condemners
- Appealing to higher loyalties
(social processing) labelling theory… answers 2 questions
- Why do some behaviours come to be defined as normative while others are defined as deviant?
- What are the individual/psychological and social consequences of being identified as criminal or delinquent?
Labelling theory
- Becker = Once individuals have been ‘tagged’ the stigma attached to the label can make it difficult to reintegrate into society
- Labelling creates a self-fulfilling prophecy
- focuses on role played by moral entrepreneurs
- Edwin Lemert = Central to LT is the distinction between primary and secondary deviance/crime
