Social Process Theories, Part 1Matza: Delinquency and Drift (1964)Boys are still tied to normal society, but:In some situations they can “drift” into crimeUse techniques to justify their actionsTechniques of NeutralizationDenial of victimDenial of injuryBlaming authoritiesAppeal to group pressueEli Anderson: Code of Streets (1999)Long-standing socially structured disadvantage in US citiesHopelessness, alienationThe “code” is an oppositional cultureRespect, toughness, physicalityStreet families vs. Decent families – code switchingWhat are social process theories?Emphasize criminality as a learned or culturally transmitted processCrime- product of person’s social environmentTheories differ on how this happensSocial DisorganizationDifferential AssociationSocial Learning TheoryThe Chicago SchoolU. ChicagoSource of main social process theoriesThe “big guns” of 20th c. criminologyHuman Ecology- studying humans and their communities/environmentUrban cities as a growing organismGroups “take over” areas of citiesInvasion, dominance, successionOrigins of Social DisorganizationConcentric Zone TheoryBurgess- Model of Chicago Neighborhoods1. Central Business District2. Transitional Zone- recent immigrant groups- deteriorated housingShaw and McKay (1942)Over time, zone 2 always had highest crimeSocial Organization(SD): neighborhood unable to realize common values, or solve community problemsCauses?Population mobilityInformal Social ControlNeighborhood with high SD can’t control its youth itselfDelinquency: Youths free to engage in unsupervised activitiesAssumption about Human natureNeed to be controlled from committing crimeNormally society does thisSD area- people freed from controlsCultural transmissionEventually, older youth pass delinquency on to younger teensHeterogeneity, low SES, Mobility SD Informal Social Control weakened Crime by delinquent teens (older teens passing to youth)Criticisms of SDToo deterministic“social disorganization” vague concepturban immigrants, not just European anymoremeasurement, patrol issuesRecent Updates to SDSystemic ModelClarifying “SD”Sparse friend networks, unsupervised teen groups, low participation in organizationsCollective Efficacy (CE)Mutual trust, social cohesion in neighborhoodTrusting neighbors to protect public spaceDon’t need close knit neighborhood to have CEDifferential Association (DA)Cultural TransmissionLearningAssumption about human nature:Very different from SDEdwin Sutherland and DATBegan developing in 1920sInfluences:The Adler Report (1933)Worked with professional thievesDAT: The Nine Positions1. Criminal behavior is learned2. through interaction with others3. mostly learned from intimate personal groups4. learn techniques and motives, attitudes, beliefs5. direction of motives: do/do not favor legal code6. delinquent when you have an excess of definitions favorable to breaking the law7. varies in frequency, intensity, priority, duration8. learning process: like we lean anything else9. delinquency doesn’t fulfill values of legit actsFollow ups to DATLots of critiquesRon Akers (1979)Explaining how we learnNot just from intimate othersMechanisms for learning:Differential associationDefinitionsImitation/modelingReinforcement (operant conditioning)Feb. 28th Notes 03/02/2011Social Process Theories, Part 1Matza: Delinquency and Drift (1964)- Boys are still tied to normal society, but:o In some situations they can “drift” into crimeo Use techniques to justify their actions- Techniques of Neutralizationo Denial of victimo Denial of injuryo Blaming authoritieso Appeal to group pressueEli Anderson: Code of Streets (1999)- Long-standing socially structured disadvantage in US cities- Hopelessness, alienation- The “code” is an oppositional cultureo Respect, toughness, physicality- Street families vs. Decent families – code switchingWhat are social process theories?- Emphasize criminality as a learned or culturally transmitted process- Crime- product of person’s social environment- Theories differ on how this happenso Social Disorganizationo Differential Associationo Social Learning TheoryThe Chicago School- U. Chicago- Source of main social process theories- The “big guns” of 20th c. criminologyo Human Ecology- studying humans and their communities/environmento Urban cities as a growing organismo Groups “take over” areas of citieso Invasion, dominance, successionOrigins of Social Disorganization- Concentric Zone Theoryo Burgess- Model of Chicago Neighborhoodso 1. Central Business Districto 2. Transitional Zone- recent immigrant groups- deteriorated housing- Shaw and McKay (1942)o Over time, zone 2 always had highest crimeo Social Organization(SD): neighborhood unable to realize common values, or solve community problems Causes? Population mobilityInformal Social Control- Neighborhood with high SD can’t control its youth itself- Delinquency: Youths free to engage in unsupervised activities- Assumption about Human natureo Need to be controlled from committing crimeo Normally society does thiso SD area- people freed from controlsCultural transmission- Eventually, older youth pass delinquency on to younger teens- Heterogeneity, low SES, Mobility SD Informal Social Control weakened Crime by delinquent teens (older teens passing to youth)Criticisms of SD- Too deterministic- “social disorganization” vague concept- urban immigrants, not just European anymore- measurement, patrol issuesRecent Updates to SD- Systemic Modelo Clarifying “SD”o Sparse friend networks, unsupervised teen groups, low participation in organizations- Collective Efficacy (CE)o Mutual trust, social cohesion in neighborhoodo Trusting neighbors to protect public spaceo Don’t need close knit neighborhood to have CEDifferential Association (DA)- Cultural Transmission- Learningo Assumption about human nature:o Very different from SDEdwin Sutherland and DAT- Began developing in 1920s- Influences:o The Adler Report (1933)o Worked with professional thievesDAT: The Nine Positions1. Criminal behavior is learned2. through interaction with others3. mostly learned from intimate personal groups4. learn techniques and motives, attitudes, beliefs5. direction of motives: do/do not favor legal code6. delinquent when you have an excess of definitions favorable to breaking the law7. varies in frequency, intensity, priority, duration8. learning process: like we lean anything else9. delinquency doesn’t fulfill
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