Social organizational or macro-sociological theoriesSocial structure theories=macroSocial institutions= economy, family, church, etcSocial stratification= set of inequality ex: class, gender, raceCulture= shared set of attitudes, values, and goalsDurkheim (1890s)- Anomie/strain , father of socialism4 types of suicide= egotisitic (weakening commitment to group values and goals), altruistic (over-commitment to group values), fatalistic (high regulation, oppressive discipline ex: slavery), anomic (rapid social change, weak regulation)Structural functionalism- society=complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability*Social solidarity weakens as society modernizesMechanical solidarity- shared activities, strong social bonds, extended large familiesOrganic solidarity- small families, weak social bonds, more complex large populationStrain + Anomie- started by Durkheim Strain= stress, frustration are product of failed aspirations, norms are violated to alleviate strainStrain leads to anomie, which is a temporary state and disjunction between aspirations and ability to achieve goalsCrime and Social EcologyChicago School- viewed society as social organism, interested in context not concentrationConcentric zones- zones grow and each gradually invades the adjacent (pattern of invasion, dominance, and succession)Social Disorganization TheoryShaw and McKay (1942)- social disorganization is the inability of a community to regulate itself to meet needs of its members, studied male delinquency in Chicago in specific areas, sparse local friendship networks, unsupervised teensCultural transmission- tradition of delinquent behavior is handed down from one generation to the nextLow SES, residential mobility, and ethnic heterogeneity lead to cultural disorganization, structural disorganization, which leads to loss of family and community control, delinquent traditions and views, and eventually crimeLimitations= social disorganization is not measured, depends on police or court recordsCollective efficacy- willingness to intervene on behalf of the common good, social cohesion and trustWilson & Kelling (1982)- Broken windows theory- if a window is left broken, more will follow, if people don’t care the neighborhood goes downhill, keeping standards up keeps things from going downhillInformal social controls- informal social control exercised through everyday relationships and institutions is more effective than legal sanctionsCrime and Social StructureSocial Structural Strain TheoryMerton (1983)- Durkheim claimed that humans naturally have desires that must be socially controlled, while he claims that the desires are socially generatedEnds/means disjuncture- the attainment of wealth has become such an overwhelming concern that little satisfaction is derived from playing it honestlyProtestant work ethic- middle-class values, honesty is the best policy (means), American dream, universalism, but has blocked opportunities, anomic, and disjuncture between ends and meansModes of adaption- 1. Conformity always do what is culturally specified no matter what, means andends are positive2. Innovation- inability to achieve cultural goals, so they cheat means -, ends +3. Ritualism- abide by rules but abandon goals, means +, ends –4. Retreatism- don’t follow goals and don’t means to reach goals, means -, ends –5. Rebellion- rejects goals and means of society means +/-, ends +/-Differential Opportunity TheoryCloward & Ohlin (1960)- Different than Merton’s because they said as the opportunity to be successful by legitimate means varies, so too does the opportunityto be successful by illegitimate means. Different, illegitimate opportunities available to potential delinquents will produce different types of crimesGang subcultures- 1. Criminal- young child learns from organized older gang members around him, theft2. Conflict- no role models to teach them, resort to violence because of frustration3. Retreatist- social dropouts, usually go to drugs or alcoholUnderground EconomiesVenkatesh (2006)- Underground economy- economy that was interrelated but distinct from the political economy, not enough jobs for Blacks so they worked for off-the-book waged jobs like janitors, shoe shiners, etc.Hustling- whatever can be done to make ends meet*Legitimate and underground economies depend on each other ex: shop owners would let underground people have people over after-hoursInstitutional Anomie TheoryMessner & Rosenfeld (1995)- explains violent crime, crime is from cultural commitments and social structureAmerican dream= $, success, competitive individualism, achievement = anomic4 key social institutions:1. Economy- resources (Dominance)2. Political- mobilize and distribute3. Family- maintain and replace, morality4. Education- technical training*Institutional balance of power: mutual dependence among social institutions, but are not perfectly equal and balancedGeneral Strain TheoryAgnew (1992)- more general topics besides aspirations ex: popularity athleticism, not only attributed to class, strain causes negative emotions and crime is a solutionSources of strain- loss of positive stimuli, presence of noxious stimuli, and failure to achieve positive goals Characteristics of strain- if strain is unjust it causes anger, if it is high in magnitude or severity it is more likely to result in a criminal response, low social control leads to crime, criminal outcome happens when criminal activity is seen as a way to reduce strainNormative coping mechanisms- cognitive (telling yourself that the goal isn’t that important, or that the outcome isn’t that bad), emotional (turning to social support),or behavioral adaptions (working out, meditating)Social process or micro-sociological theoriesSocial processes- any identifiable pattern of interaction Socialization- how do people interact with their environmentLearning TheoriesDifferential Association TheorySubculture-conflict theories- some subcultures are characterized by their own conduct norms, these are contrary to those of the larger culture, and therefore is seen as crime in the larger society but not for the smallerSutherland (1940s)- people act like their peers, most juvenile delinquency happens in groups,9 principles of DA- criminal behavior is learned, learned through communication with others, occurs in intimate personal groups, learn techniques, motives, drives, and attitudes, definitions of the legal code are learned, delinquency= excess of
View Full Document
Unlocking...