Week Five - School Of Thought: Positivism Flashcards
Quetelet…
• Quetelet’s finding of consistent crime stats (1826-29)
If crime rates are regular and predictable the causes must lie outside of each individual’s control? (young men, low employment; seasons; state of the economy),
Not simply individual choice
What does positivism search for?
Positivism searches for causes of law breaking.
When was Positivism challenged?
Took until mid 20th century for positivism to be seriously challenged
What were the key ideas of Positivism?
Interactionism – deviant actions can be meaningful
Social control leads to deviance (social reaction theory)
Focus on processes of criminalization and law formation
Eliminated idea of free will
Replaced with idea of ‘determinism’
Punishment replaced by treatment
Rather than trying to reduce crime through punishment, positivists sought to discover the causes of crime – so they could eliminate the conditions that caused it.
Positivists argue that crime can only be understood if the focus is on criminal behaviour, not criminal law.
Natural science methods only way of obtaining knowledge of human nature and society…
What are some examples of Positivist research?
Lombroso’s body type theories (biological)
Bowlby on attachment and maternal deprivation (psychological)
Merton’s strain (anomie) theory (sociological)
