Functionalism

Question 1

What is Value Consensus

Answer 1

Members of society sharing a common culture,norms,values,beliefs and goals

Question 2

Why does Durkheim view crime as destabilising?

Answer 2

-Society couldn’t continue to function

Question 3

What is ‘anomie’

Answer 3

Coined by Durkheim,a state of normlessness where people lose their shared values,results in chaos/riots

Question 4

What is the society of saints analogy?

Answer 4

In a society without murder or robbery the slightest wrongdoing would be seen as deviant e.g being the least charitable

Question 5

Why does Durkheim say crime is inevitable?

Answer 5

-not everyone is socialised equally into shared norms and values
-diversity of lifestyles in complex modern societies
-different groups develop subcultural norms that may seem deviant to the mainstream

Question 6

How does crime maintain boundaries in society?

Answer 6

-Unites members of society in condemning the wrongdoer
-reinforces shared norms and values
-e.g through dramatic court rituals that stigmatise the wrongdoer
-baby p,Jamie Buldger

Question 7

How does Crime create Social change?

Answer 7

-all change starts with acts perceived as deviant
-they challenge existing norms and values
-e.g civil rights movement

Question 8

What are some evaluations for Durkheim?

Answer 8

X-Claims society needs some crime to function,doesn’t say how much

X-Crime isn’t functional for the victim

X-Explains crime in terms of its function,just because it strengthens social solidarity isn’t a reason for its existence in the first place

+-Shows punishment is integral to modern society e.g diminishing London riots

Question 9

What is Strain?

Answer 9

The difference between:
-The goals people are culturally expected to achieve

-what society allows them to achieve legitimately

Question 10

Why does Merton think societies goals are unrealistic?

Answer 10

Many disadvantaged groups aren’t given the opportunity to achieve legitimately

-e.g poverty,bad schools,discrimination in the Job market

Question 11

How does Strain lead to Crime?

Answer 11

The frustration of not being able to achieve through legitimate means may lead people to commit crimes to achieve their goals

Question 12

What is Conformity? (Merton)

Answer 12

Individuals accept culturally approved goals and try to achieve them legitimately,middle class

Question 13

What is innovation? (Merton)

Answer 13

Individuals accept the goals of money success but use Illegitimate means e.g theft/fraud to achieve them

Question 14

What is Ritualism? (Merton)

Answer 14

People give up on achieving goals but have internalised legitimate means so follow rules

Question 15

What is Retreatism? (Merton)

Answer 15

People reject goals and legitimate means and become dropouts e.g vagrants,drug addicts

Question 16

What is Rebellion? (Merton)

Answer 16

People reject existing goals and means but seek to replace them with new ones to create a new society

Question 17

What are some Evaluations of Merton?

Answer 17

+-Explains patterns of crime found in crime statistics I.e property crime,higher rates of lower class crime

X-Crime statistics overrepresent working class crime

X-Marxists argue it ignores the rich’s role in making laws that only criminalise the poor

X-Marxists argue WC crime is out of necessity not a lack of conformity

X-Only mentions Utilitarian crime

Question 18

Why does Albert Cohen criticise Merton?

Answer 18

1.Merton sees deviance as individual ignores deviance committed by groups e.g young people

2.Merton only focuses on utilitarian crime

Question 19

Why does Albert Cohen say WC boys are likely to commit deviance?

Answer 19

-Face anomie in a MC system

-Suffer from cultural deprivation and lack means to achieve

-status frustration from being bottom of the hierarchy

Question 20

How do WC boys overcome status Frustration? (A.Cohen)

Answer 20

-Reject Mainstream MC values
-Form delinquent subcultures

Question 21

What is Subcultural Strain Theory? (A.Cohen)

Answer 21

-See deviance as the product of a delinquent subculture

-Subcultures provide an alternative culture for those who can’t achieve by legitimate means

-may not be functional for wider society but Is for its members
-criticise and build on merton’s theory

Question 22

Why is deviance Functional? (A.Cohen)

Answer 22

Higher rates of Truancy may show a problem with the education system

Deviance can be a warning that society isn’t functioning

Question 23

What are some Evaluations for Merton?

Answer 23

Offers an explanation of non-utilitarian deviance

X-Assumes WC boys start off with MC values then reject them ignores the possibility of them not having these values

X-doesn’t explain existence of female or middle class deviance

Question 24

Why do Cloward and Ohlin think subcultural responses to crime happen?

Answer 24

-unequal access to both legitimate and illegitimate means of opportunity

Question 25

What are Criminal Subcultures? (Cloward and Ohlin)

Answer 25

-provide youth with the path to utilitarian crime

-occur in areas of long-standing and stable crime culture

-young can have older criminal role models

Question 26

What are conflict subcultures? (Cloward and Ohlin)

Answer 26

-occur in areas of high population turnover

-social disorganisation prevents a stable crime network

-opportunity lies within loosely organised gangs;men can release frustration through violence/status

Question 27

What is a Retreatist subculture? (Cloward and Ohlin)

Answer 27

-in any neighbourhood

-not everyone is able to become a professional criminal or gang leader

-they often join retreatist subcultures based on drug use

Question 28

What are some evaluations of Cloward and Ohlin’s theories?

Answer 28

+-provide an explanation for different types of WC crime

+-strain theory has been influential on gov’t policy

X-ignore crimes of the wealthy

X-over-predict WC crime ignore the wider power structure

X-boundaries between different subcultures are too sharp

Question 29

How does Prostitution act as a safety valve? (Davis)

Answer 29

Allows men to release their sexual frustrations without harming nuclear family

Question 30

What are some evaluations for Davis’ theory?

Answer 30

X-overlooks the fact that men turning to prostitutes harms nuclear family

X-based on outdated ideas of women not being sexually driven/men being breadwinners

Question 31

What is Polsky’s theory?

Answer 31

Pornography is another way for men to release their sexual desires without adultery

Question 32

What is an evaluation for Polsky’s theory?

Answer 32

X-ignore negative implications of the porn industry e.g lack of consent,human trafficking and desensitising abusive behaviour