functionalist, strain, and subcultural theories Flashcards
(16 cards)
(func) durkheim
crime is inevitable because not everyone is socialised into shared norms / lifestyles
(func) durkheim’s two positive functions of crime
- boundary maintenance - condemning wrongdoers to define good vs bad
- adaptation and change - scope to challenge society
ao3 of functionalism
- no way of measuring the ‘right’ amount of crime
- crime doesn’t always promote solidarity
(func) polsky
pornography channels desires safely away as not to threaten the nuclear family
(func - strain) merton
people turn to deviance when they can’t achieve the goals in mainstream society by legitimate means
(func - strain) merton’s deviant adaptations to strain
- conformity
- innovation
- ritualism
- retreatism
- rebellion
(merton) conformity
strives to achieve society’s goals legitimately
(merton) innovation
uses illegitimate ways to achieve wealth
(merton) ritualism
going through the motions with no goals
(merton) retreatism
becoming an outcast
(merton) rebellion
creating new goals
ao3 of merton
- assumes value consensus (not everyone wants the same things in life)
- doesn’t explain group deviance
- only describes utilitarian crime
(func - strain) cohen
wc boys lack skills so they have status frustration and form an alternative status hierarchy (an alternative set of values)
(cohen) alternative status hierarchy
- values hostility and malice
- boys get status through peer approval and delinquency
- explains non-utilitarian crime like vandalism
(func - sub) cloward and ohlin
different subcultures emerge when there’s inequalities in illegitimate opportunities
- criminal = youths trained by adults on the criminal ladder
- conflict = loosely organised gangs
- retreatist = based on illegal drug use
matza
ao3 of cloward and ohlin
- delinquency and drift
- the wc may use crime as a technique of neutralisation
- criminal activity is attractive as it is a part of wc subterranean values
