2.3 Sociological Theories

Question 1

What are the 8 sociological theories

Answer 1

Functionalist theory
Merton’s strain theory
Subcultural theories
Labelling theory
Marxist theory
Right realism
Left realism
Surveillance theories

Question 2

Outline Merton’s strain theory

Answer 2

Merton suggests the root of all crime is the unequal structure of society. The overall goal is to achieve wealth through legitimate means. People may have blocked opportunities to achieve this and so have to adapt. Strain is the gap between the goal and the lack of legitimate means.

Question 3

What are the 4 ways of adapting to strain

Answer 3

Innovation- find illegal ways of achieving the goal
Ritualism- giving up and sticking to a dead end job
Retreatism- dropout
Rebellion- replace the goals with new ones

Question 4

Outline labelling theory

Answer 4

The act of labelling people, causing a self-fulfilling prophecy. When we label people a certain way they are likely to act that way. This can cause a skewing of who the police arrest.