class 11 - Social Structure Theories

Question 1

What do social structure theories focus on?

Answer 1

They focus on observing and describing everyday life, how neighborhoods develop, and how poverty forms, using ethnographic methods.

Question 2

What are “natural areas” in social structure theories?

Answer 2

Neighborhoods that develop due to social forces within urban areas.

Question 3

Which school of thought inspired social structure theories?

Answer 3

The Chicago School.

Question 4

What is a key critique of individual-level crime theories?

Answer 4

They do not explain why crime is not evenly distributed across populations and cities.

Question 5

How does sociological criminology view crime?

Answer 5

Crime might be a strategy used by groups to contend with inequality.

Question 6

How do changes in social organization impact crime?

Answer 6

Changes in social mobility and social organization can influence crime rates.

Question 7

What relationships does sociological criminology study?

Answer 7

The relationship between social status and criminal behavior.

Question 8

What factors contribute to the causes of crime in sociological criminology?

Answer 8

Interactions between individuals, families, peers, work, and school.

Question 9

What role does social class play in crime?

Answer 9

Social classes (upper, middle, lower) influence crime rates, with economic disparity contributing to criminal behavior.

Question 10

How does wealth distribution affect crime over generations?

Answer 10

Shifting distributions of wealth across generations impact poverty and crime, with lower-income families facing higher risks.

Question 11

What percentage of Canadian children live in low-income households?

Answer 11

Nearly 20%.

Question 12

Which demographics are most affected by poverty?

Answer 12

New immigrants.

Indigenous peoples.

Families headed by single mothers.

Question 13

How does racial inequality relate to poverty and crime?

Answer 13

Racialized minority groups are overrepresented in poverty and face systemic barriers leading to higher crime rates.

Question 14

What are some intersectional problems related to inequality and crime?

Answer 14

Indigenous peoples have shorter lifespans than white populations.

Links between poverty and HIV infection.

Systemic violence against racial minorities, leading to overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.

Question 15

What is the “culture of poverty” theory?

Answer 15

A concept that suggests impoverished neighborhoods develop a lifestyle that perpetuates poverty across generations.

Question 16

What is the “underclass”?

Answer 16

A social group disconnected from mainstream society, lacking education and skills needed to survive.

Question 17

How does unemployment impact crime rates?

Answer 17

Those unemployed are more likely to commit crimes.

Many adult inmates were unemployed or underemployed before their arrest.

Question 18

How does unemployment affect social behavior?

Answer 18

It reduces conformity and increases the likelihood of criminal activity.

Question 19

What is social embeddedness in crime theory?

Answer 19

Early behavior patterns become stable and turn into lifelong habits, reinforcing criminal tendencies.

Question 20

How are unemployment and crime related?

Answer 20

They are interrelated, with joblessness increasing the risk of criminal behavior.

Question 21

What does social structure theory argue is the primary cause of crime?

Answer 21

Economic inequality and disadvantage.

Question 22

What are the three main theories under social structure theory?

Answer 22

1. Social disorganization theory – Crime results from ineffective social control in certain environments.
2. Strain theory – Conflict between societal goals and the means available to achieve them.
3. Cultural deviance theory – Criminal subcultures form due to disorganization and conflicting social values.

Question 23

What does social disorganization theory state about crime rates?

Answer 23

Crime rates are linked to the ecological conditions and characteristics of neighborhoods.

Question 24

What types of neighborhoods are associated with higher crime rates?

Answer 24

Highly transient neighborhoods.

Mixed-use neighborhoods.

Poor neighborhoods.

Transitional neighborhoods (middle-class shifting to lower-class).

Question 25

What is cultural transmission in social disorganization theory?

Answer 25

The process of passing down conduct norms from one generation to the next, leading to stable and predictable criminal behaviors over time.

Question 26

What does the social ecology school focus on?

Answer 26

Community-level indicators of social disorganization such as disorder, poverty, alienation, and fear of crime.

Question 27

What is value conflict in criminology?

Answer 27

A clash between the values of teenage law-violating groups and middle-class norms.

Question 28

How does community deterioration contribute to crime?

Answer 28

As neighborhoods deteriorate, crime rates tend to increase.

Question 29

What is community fear, and how does it relate to crime?

Answer 29

Fear of crime makes transitional neighborhoods more unstable, leading to a lack of community support and higher crime rates.

Question 30

What is siege mentality?

Answer 30

A mistrust of social institutions (police, government, schools) that can lead to violent protests, division, and societal unrest.

Question 31

What is collective efficacy in criminology?

Answer 31

It refers to cohesive communities that maintain high levels of social control, reducing crime and disorder.

Question 32

What are the three types of social control under collective efficacy?

Answer 32

Informal social control – Reinforcement from peers, families, and neighbors. Institutional social control – Trust in social institutions for effective operation. Public social control – External resources, funding, and police presence through community organization.

Question 33

What is the main concept of strain theory?

Answer 33

Strain occurs when individuals have goals but lack the opportunity to achieve them, leading to frustration and potential criminal behavior.

Question 34

What is anomie in strain theory?

Answer 34

Anomie is a state of being "without norms" due to rapid social change, leading to instability and increased crime.

Question 35

What are the five modes of adaptation in strain theory?

Answer 35

Conformity – Accepts goals and means. Innovation – Accepts goals but rejects means (e.g., crime for success). Ritualism – Rejects goals but follows means. Retreatism – Rejects both goals and means (e.g., substance abuse). Rebellion – Creates new goals and means.

Question 36

What is relative deprivation in criminology?

Answer 36

It occurs when wealthy and poor individuals live in close proximity, increasing feelings of inequality and frustration, which can lead to crime.

Question 37

How does relative deprivation impact violence?

Answer 37

High levels of lethal violence are observed in areas with significant income inequality.

Question 38

What societal factors contribute to crime in relative deprivation theory?

Answer 38

Perceived humiliation. Social and family disorganization. Economic disparity, especially in Indigenous populations.

Question 39

What does General Strain Theory (GST) focus on?

Answer 39

It examines the micro-level effects of strain, emphasizing negative emotions that arise from stressful life events.

Question 40

What are the key causes of strain in GST?

Answer 40

1. Failure to achieve positively valued goals. 2. Mismatch between expectations and achievements. 3. Loss of positively valued stimuli (e.g., job loss, death of a loved one). 4. Presence of negative stimuli (e.g., abuse, victimization).