Week 5 - Anomie and Strain Theories Flashcards
What perspective did Emile Durkheim introduce?
Durkheim introduced structural functionalism, viewing crime as having a function in society, where social institutions play specific roles.
Emile Durkheim background
Understand Durkheim’s work in relation to the French Revolution and Industrial Revolution.
These events led to social disruption and new values, creating an urgent need for social regeneration.
What are the characteristics of a mechanical society?
Mechanical societies are characterized by uniformity, where members share identical circumstances, values, and work, with little division of labor
primitive, rural, and agricultural with a simple division of labor and a stronger collective conscience
How does law function in mechanical societies?
In mechanical societies, the law is repressive, punishing deviations from societal norms.
What role does crime play in mechanical societies?
Crime is considered a normal part of society.
What are the key characteristics of an organic society?
Organic societies are more advanced, with solidarity based on interdependence and division of labor.
modern, urban, and industrial with a complex division of labor and a weaker collective conscience
How does law function in organic societies?
In organic societies, the law is restitutive, regulating interactions and providing restitution for wrongful acts.
What is anomie in the context of organic societies?
Anomie refers to a state of normlessness that arises from rapid social change, leading to a breakdown of norms.
What is collective conscience?
Collective conscience is a shared set of norms, values, and beliefs that bind society together.
What pressures do deviants face in mechanical societies?
Deviants face criminal sanctions (most severe) as well as weaker sanctions like ridicule, isolation, and disapproval.
What sacrifices must individuals make for membership in society?
Individuals must make sacrifices to belong to society, which reinforces social solidarity.
Why is deviance considered inevitable in society?
Society needs transgressors so that the conforming majority can feel superior; criminals help reinforce the moral boundaries of society.
What is the primary purpose of punishment in society?
The purpose of punishment is to maintain social solidarity and reassure law-abiding citizens, rather than primarily serving as a deterrent.
What is the nature of crime according to Durkheim?
Crime is normal, with no strict dividing line; it is flexible and can be redefined.
Why is crime considered necessary for society?
A crimeless society would treat minor faults as serious
challenging the rigidity of the collective conscience.
defines moral boundaries
creates social progress by deviating from established norms
identifies rule breakers, which can strengthen bonds among conformists.
What leads to crime in organic societies?
In organic societies, a lack of regulation due to the interdependence of diverse parts can lead to social maladies and crime.
How do economic factors influence anomie?
Economic decline or rapid growth can disrupt norms and desires, leading to anomie.
What role does collective conscience play in regulating expectations?
Collective conscience sets moral limits about acquisitions, which can break down during rapid social change, leading to anomie.
How does punishment change as societies modernize?
In primitive societies, punishment remains stable; as societies modernize, more behaviors are tolerated, and punishment becomes less violent.
What is Erickson’s theory regarding punishment and crime?
Erickson argues that despite fluctuations in crime, the level of punishment remains stable.
What do Blumstein and Cohen suggest about prison rates?
Blumstein and Cohen note that prison rates remain stable despite varying crime rates.
What support exists for Durkheim’s ideas on deviance?
There is support for increased tolerance of deviance and a shrinking definition of crime.
What challenges Durkheim’s ideas?
Developed societies often impose more severe punishments, contradicting Durkheim’s ideas, and premodern societies frequently experienced violence.
What do Neuman and Berger argue regarding economic inequality and crime?
Neuman and Berger suggest that economic inequality, rather than a breakdown of norms, is a better predictor of crime.
What is the civilizing process?
The civilizing process refers to the shift from knightly warrior societies to state-controlled societies, resulting in reduced interpersonal violence.
How is the rise in property crime linked to modern society?
The rise in property crime is linked to increased opportunities for crime, such as valuable property ownership and frequent absences from home.
What is the main goal of society according to Merton?
Wealth is the main goal of society and serves as a measure of social status.
How does American culture influence the perception of wealth?
American culture promotes the idea that everyone has an equal chance for wealth, which is not true, creating pressure to strive for it.
What are institutionalized means to achieve wealth?
Institutionalized means include hard work, honesty, education, and deferred gratification
less effective in low socioeconomic status (SES) areas due to barriers
What happens when there is pressure to conform to wealth while adhering to means?
This pressure can lead to anomie, particularly for the lower class, which faces barriers in achieving wealth.
Merton’s strain theory
1 - requirement that people achieve success is higher than the requirement to play by the rules
2 - mismatch between cultures universal success goals (wealth) and
peoples differential access to legitimate means to achieve those goals
What are the five adaptations to anomie according to Merton?
Conformity: Accepts both goals and means.
Innovation: Accepts goals but rejects means.
Ritualism: Rejects goals but accepts means.
Retreatism: Rejects both goals and means.
Rebellion: Creates new goals and means.
How does crime reflect the distribution of legitimate opportunities?
Crime mirrors the distribution of legitimate opportunities and is typically concentrated in lower classes.
What types of activities do gangs engage in? (Cohen)
Gang activities are often non-utilitarian, malicious, and negativistic, involving actions like stealing unneeded items and vandalism.
How does delinquency relate to status among peers?
Delinquency serves as a status claim among peers, with gangs developing a culture separate from the dominant society.
What is the difference between achieved and ascribed status?
Achieved status is earned through competition (like academic achievement), while ascribed status is inherited from family background
What strain do youth without ascribed status experience?
Youth without ascribed status may experience strain and can either conform to middle-class values or reject them to seek alternative status
youth often form gangs to validate their choices..
Cloward and Ohlin’s Gang Typology
What is the focus of more serious delinquents according to Cloward and Ohlin?
More serious delinquents pursue economic gain, often seeking conspicuous consumption and material possessions.
reject middle class and embrace crass
materialism
What happens when there are no legitimate opportunities? (Cloward and Ohlin)
turn to illegitimate means
Yes legitimate opportunities – form gangs for income generation
What characterizes the retreatism subculture?
The retreatism subculture consists of double failures—those who have failed in economic improvement through illegitimate means and in conflict, often turning to alcohol and drugs.
What was the leading framework for crime and delinquency policies in the 1960s?
Strain theories were the leading framework during this period.
What were the goals of JDPACA 1961?
JDPACA aimed to improve education, create job opportunities, organize the lower class, and provide services to individuals, gangs, and families.
Why did these policies fail?
They failed due to a lack of genuine opportunities and a focus on changing behavior instead of addressing structural issues.
What led to the criticisms of strain theories?
The failure of 1960s policies led to criticisms, highlighting the need for understanding both individual and aggregate levels of strain.
What are the core elements of Agnew’s general strain theory?
Failure to achieve goals.
Removal of positively valued stimuli.
Presence of negative stimuli.
How does strain generate negative emotions?
Strain arises from negative interactions where individuals are blocked from achieving goals, generating negative emotions that can lead to crime.
What coping mechanisms do individuals use in strain theory?
Cognitive strategies: Minimizing the significance of outcomes.
Behavioral strategies: Escaping strain through actions.
Emotional strategies: Using substance abuse.
What is vicarious strain?
Vicarious strain refers to strain experienced by those close to an individual.
What is anticipated strain?
Anticipated strain refers to the strain expected in the future.
How does macro-level strain relate to crime rates?
Areas with high strain experience higher crime rates due to interactions among strained individuals.
What are the four features that magnify the effects of strain?
Seen as unjust and caused intentionally by others.
High magnitude.
Associated with low social control.
Create pressures to rely on illegitimate coping.
What are storylines in the context of strain theory?
Storylines are events or conditions that increase the likelihood of criminal behavior, such as desperate financial need, unresolved disputes, and temporary breaks from conventional social circles.
Messner and Rosenfeld’s Institutional Anomie
What is the American dream according to Messner and Rosenfeld?
The American dream represents a strong cultural commitment to material success pursued through open competition.
What do they suggest about the distribution of means and crime?
They argue that simply distributing means does not alleviate crime, as there will always be “losers.”
What dominates American culture according to their theory?
Economic institutions dominate American culture.
What does institutional-anomie theory argue?
It argues that the economy dominates all other institutions, leading to an “ends justify the means” attitude in capitalist societies, where material goals overshadow other social values.
What policy recommendations do Messner and Rosenfeld offer?
focus on social concerns, emphasizing education for its own sake, community involvement, and promoting goals beyond monetary success
Implementing intervention programs for high-risk youth,
Developing healthy coping mechanisms.
Equalizing opportunities for success.
Macro vs micro
- Effects of social structure rather than individual deficiencies
- Criminalization of members of certain social classes rather than predispositions
of certain individuals
Branches of social structure theory
Social disorganization
Strain/anomie
Cultural deviance
These branches lead to crime.
What historical movements influenced early social structure theories?
Early social structure theories were influenced by the Enlightenment, the First American Industrial Revolution, and intellectuals like Auguste Comte and Adolphe Quetelet.
What is the relationship between division of labor and collective conscience?
In societies with a complex division of labor, the collective conscience becomes weaker, differentiating mechanical societies from organic societies.
What is mechanical solidarity?
Mechanical solidarity refers to societies where individuals are similar and perform the same functions, similar to a tube worm where if one is broken, another identical one is created.
What types of offenses are punished in mechanical solidarity?
Offenses against religion, state authorities, and traditions are punished, often through emotional acts of vengeance.
What role do criminals play in societies with mechanical solidarity?
In such societies, criminals help maintain social solidarity and prevent demoralization among those making sacrifices.
What characterizes organic solidarity?
Organic solidarity is characterized by specialization and interdependence, where social glue is the interdependence based on the division of labor.
Individualism, humanitarianism -> human crimes (murder, rape, theft)
What does anomie refer to in Durkheim’s theory?
state of normlessness or lack of regulation in society, often occurring during rapid social change
Anomie vs strain theories
Anomie theories focus on cultural arguments for higher crime rates in some societies, while strain theories focus on structural arguments for why certain individuals or groups engage in crime
Variations of the strain theory
- Relative deprivation theory
- Theory of lower-class status frustration
- Theory of differential opportunity
- General strain theory
Relative deprivation theory
Crime rates impacted by social inequality and proximity of wealthy and poor
frustration, hostility, violence and crime
Some people don’t follow rules to wealth, frustration to see that
Theory of lower class status frustration
young low class male in nonutilitarian, malicious and negativistic
subcultures
denied status - status frustration
Theory of lower class status frustration subcultures
o Delinquent boy (rebels, innovators)
o Corner boy (ritualism, retreatism)
o College boy (conformity)
Theory of differential opportunity
Legitimate and illegitimate opportunities structured in society
o Criminal gangs – innovation
o Conflict gangs – rebellion
o Retreatist gangs – retreatism
Opportunities for success (legal and illegal) are closed for most disadvantaged
youths
