Topic 1 Flashcards
Functionalists, strain and subcultural theories.
What do functionalists say about crime?
Functionalists believe that crime is inevitable in society; poor socialisation and inequality result in the absence of norms and values being taught. Also, functionalists believe crime is positive for society because it allows boundary maintenance, and allows a scope for adaption and change.
What does Durkheim say about crime?
‘Crime is normal… an integral part of all healthy societies.’
How does Durkheim believe crime is caused?
Believes it is caused by not everyone being equally and effectively socialised into the shared norms and values, so some individuals will be prone to deviate. Also there is a diversity of lifestyles and values meaning that different groups may have their own norms about what they deem as deviant.
What does Durkheim say about modern societies?
Modern societies tend towards anomie or normlessness - the rules governing behaviour become weaker and less clear-cut. Modern societies have a complex division of labour, meaning individuals are different from one another weakening the collective conscience and results in higher levels of deviance.
What are Durkheim’s two positive functions of crime?
- Boundary maintenance.
- Adaptation and change.
What is boundary maintenance?
The concept that when people are punished for committing crimes, it teaches the rest of society not to go against norms and values, in turn strengthening boundaries and preventing further crime.
What is adaptation and change?
Adaptation and change is the concept that deviant behaviours demonstrate a changing attitude of the population to the established way of doing things. At first by someone challenging norms, they will be seen as deviant but however in the long run their values may give rise to a new culture and morality.
Who supports Durkheim’s view that crime can be positive?
Davie. He suggests that prostitution is positive because it allows men to express sexual frustration without threatening the nuclear family. Argues it acts as a safety valve.
What are criticisms of Durkheim’s view?
Durkheim offers little explanation as to why crime occurs other than frustrations.
In contemporary society, deviant behaviours have less effect than previous examples. For example, the Black Lives Matter protests in the USA haven’t led to widespread change.
It is difficult to measure the ‘optimal amount’ of crime that can exist in a society.
Crime doesn’t exist for social solidarity.
Functionalism ignores individual difference, as it regards society as a whole, we do not know the impact it has on individuals.
Crime can actually create isolation instead of solidarity.
What does Merton believe about crime?
Believes crime and deviance were a product of dysfunction in society. Suggested that society was structurally unequal and that the inability of some members to achieve the ‘American Dream’ led to a strain to anomie.
What does Merton mean by a strain to anomie?
The resulting strain between the cultural goal of money success and the lack of legitimate opportunities to achieve it produces frustration, and this in turn creates a pressure to resort to illegitimate means such as crime and deviance. The strain to anomie is the pressure to deviate.
What are Merton’s 5 deviant adaptations to strain?
- Conformity.
- Innovation.
- Ritualism.
- Retreatism.
- Rebellion.
What is conformity?
Individuals chase the American Dream and work hard, accept social goals and pursue them from legitimate means.
What is innovation?
Individuals accept the goal of money success but use ‘new’, illegitimate means such as theft or fraud to achieve it.
What is ritualism?
Individuals have accepted they were unlikely to achieve goals of wealth, conformed to the norms and values of society, adopted legitimate means despite knowing it wouldn’t lead to their goals.
