functionalism Flashcards
functionalism- function of crime (4)
- boundary maintenance
- adaptation & change
- safety valve
-warning light
boundary maintenance (with eg. & ao3)
-people come together (unite/solidarity) to shame the offender
-discourages others from rule breaking
eg. 2011 UK riots, people coming together to clean the streets
ao3: not “functional” for the victim
adaptation & change (with eg. & ao3)
-durkheim- change starts with an act of deviance
- should be scope for existing m&b to be challenged
- society needs to adapt with new ideas rather than stagnate
eg. suffragettes 1913= the equal pay act 1970
ao3= no way of knowing how much deviance is needed for this change
safety valve (with eg. & ao3)
- davis= crime can release men’s sexual frustration, without threatening monogamous nuclear family
- polsky= porn safely channels away from adultery
eg. prostitution
ao3= does not explain why some people commit particular offences
warning light (with eg. and ao3)
-cohen= deviance indicates when an institution is malfunctioning, informing society that a change needs to happen
eg. increased truancy in schools has led to fines for absences= a change in the edu system
ao3= marxism= does not consider the possibility that a powerful group is imposing its values on the rest of society
merton’s strain theory
- strain between cultural goals (eg. american dream) and structural factors ((il)legitimately))
- social structures cause restriction = “strain to anomie” / frustration
- american culture puts more emphasis on winning the game is more important than playing by the rules
5 adaptations to strain (merton)
- conformity- accepting goals, striving to achieve by legitimate means
- innovation- accepting goals but using illegitimate means
- ritualism= giving up on goals but follow rules anyway
- retreatism= rejecting goals and means, become dropouts
- rebellion= replace old goals with new ones to create new kind of society
