Social Process Theories Flashcards

Flashcards covering the key concepts, theories, and specific studies within social process theories as outlined in the lecture notes, including social learning, social control, and labelling theories.

How does socialization differ from social process theories?

Socialization is the human development and learning process, occurring primarily in the family and secondarily in institutions; social process theories are the study of the operations of social institutions such as family, peer groups, and school.

What are the three main branches of social process theory?

Social learning theory, social control theory, and labelling theory.

According to the US National Crime Victimization Survey in 2000, what number of people accounted for most of the 26 million serious crimes?

$2\,million$ people.

What percentage of Canadians were estimated to be responsible for the $1.9\,million$ crimes in 2016 based on the same factors as the US survey?

Less than $0.1\,\%$ of Canadians (fewer than $200\,000$ people).

Define the term parental efficacy.

The ability of parents to be supportive of their children and control them effectively in noncoercive ways.

According to Rand Conger's Family Stress Model, what are the primary stressors that result in disrupted parenting?

Low income and income loss, which increase parents' sadness, pessimism, anger, and despair, often leading to withdrawal from family members.

What is the 'stigmatize' process in an educational context?

To create a label that taints a person's identity, changing them in the eyes of others, often resulting from the school labeling problem youths.

What percentage of youth crimes in 2006 occurred on school property, and what were the most prevalent offences?

About $10\,\%$ occurred on school property, with the most prevalent being assaults ($27\,\%$) and drugs ($18\,\%$).

What is the core premise of Edwin H. Sutherland's differential association (DA) theory?

Criminal acts are related to exposure to an excess amount of antisocial attitudes and values, learned in interaction with others within intimate personal groups.

List the four variables in which differential associations vary.

Frequency, duration, priority, and intensity.

What is the main focus of differential reinforcement (DR) theory as proposed by Akers and Burgess?

It combines differential association concepts with psychological learning theory, suggesting that whether criminal behaviour persists depends on the degree to which it is rewarded or punished.

Define 'drift' according to neutralization theory.

The movement of youth in and out of delinquency, where they hold both conventional and deviant values.

What are the five original techniques of neutralization identified by Sykes and Matza?

(1) Deny responsibility, (2) Deny injury, (3) Deny the victim, (4) Condemn the condemners, and (5) Appeal to higher loyalties.

According to Walter Reckless's containment theory, what factor allows youths to insulate themselves from crime?

A positive self-concept (self-esteem) and ego strength.

What are the four main elements of the social bond according to Travis Hirschi?

Attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief.

What is the difference between primary and secondary deviance according to Edwin Lemert?

Primary deviance involves norm violations that go unsanctioned and do not redefine self-image; secondary deviance occurs when deviant acts are sanctioned, the label becomes a basis for identity, and more deviance follows.

Define 'moral entrepreneurs' as described by Howard Becker.

Interest groups that capitalize on promoting crime fear to advocate for their own moral values and the creation of rules.

What is 'retrospective reading' in labelling theory?

The reassessment of a person's past to fit a current generalized label specifically applied to them after they have been labelled deviant.

What is the 'dramatization of evil' according to Frank Tannenbaum?

The process of tagging, defining, and identifying a person as a criminal, which stimulates or evokes the very traits that are complained of through internalization.

How does developmental criminology differ from single-factor theories?

Developmental criminology examines change in a criminal career over the entire life course rather than focusing on a single onset condition like structure or strain.

What are latent traits in the context of integrated theories?

Stable conditions present at birth, such as defective intelligence or impulsive personality, that make some people crime-prone throughout their life course.

What did the Glueck Research identify as the most important factor for persistent offending?

The nature of family relations, specifically the quality of discipline and emotional ties with parents.

What are the four critical cognitive transformations identified by Giordano for the desistance process?

(1) Basic openness to change, (2) Exposure to a positive development, (3) Willingness to establish a replacement self, and (4) Transformation in how the actor views the deviant lifestyle.

What is multisystemic therapy (MST)?

A home-based treatment for juveniles that addresses relationships among family, peers, school, and community to empower parents and reduce recidivism.

What is the primary objective of the Aboriginal Head Start (AHS) program in Canada?

To prepare high-risk Indigenous children ages $3$ to $6$ for school by focusing on school readiness, healthy living, life skills, and Indigenous language and culture.