Criminology Parts 4-5: Anomie and Labeling Theory

What was Ruth Kornhauser’s focus in her critical appraisal of theories?

Kornhauser focused on macro-level theories, rejecting strain and learning theories, dismissing cultural deviance, and supporting control theories as explanations for crime.

What are the four elements of Travis Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory?

• Attachment: Caring about others' expectations prevents deviance.

• Commitment: Investment in goals deters crime.

• Involvement: Structured time reduces crime opportunities.

• Belief: Acceptance of societal norms lowers deviance likelihood.

What is the core idea of Hirschi’s Social Bond Theory?

Crime occurs when an individual's bond to society is weak

What is the core idea of Hirschi’s Self-Control Theory?

Crime results from a lack of self-control rather than external motivation.

What is the definition of self-control in Hirschi’s Self-Control Theory?

The ability to resist immediate pleasures with negative consequences and to favor long-term goals.

What are the six components of self-control according to Hirschi?

• Impulsive.

• Risk-seeking.

• Short-sighted.

• Self-centered (insensitive).

• Preference for physical over mental tasks.

• Opportunistic perception.

: What are the origins of self-control?

• Established in early childhood through parenting: attachment, supervision, and discipline.

• Low self-control is linked to the absence of effort to develop it.

How do propensity and opportunity interact in Self-Control Theory?

• Low self-control increases the likelihood of crime but does not guarantee it.

• Self-control interacts with the availability of crime opportunities.

What are critiques of Self-Control Theory?

Strong empirical support but limited by ignoring cultural and socioeconomic contexts.

Strong empirical support but limited by ignoring cultural and socioeconomic contexts.

• Crime is situational and not a permanent state.

• Youths drift between freedom and control, occasionally committing crimes.

What are the five neutralization techniques?

• Denial of responsibility.

• Denial of injury.

• Denial of victim.

• Condemnation of condemners.

• Appeal to higher loyalties.

What is the difference between “push” and “pull” theories of crime?

• Push Theories: Strain or external forces push individuals toward crime.

• Pull Theories: Crime is learned through social interactions and associations.

What are the key distinctions between Social Bond Theory and Self-Control Theory?

• Social Bond Theory: Crime results from weak bonds to society and focuses on external connections.

• Self-Control Theory: Crime stems from internal differences in self-control developed early in life.

What is the cause of crime in Social Bond Theory?

Weak bonds to society, leading to the absence of control.

What is the cause of crime in Self-Control Theory?

A lack of self-control developed in early childhood.

What are the key factors that crime is not a function of?

Biology, internal drives, absence of control, peer influence, rational choice.

What are the key factors that crime is a function of?

Social forces, pressures, motivations.

What is the focus of Robert Merton’s Anomie Theory?

The disjunction between cultural goals (e.g., monetary success) and institutional means, leading to normlessness and crime.

What is anomie?

A state of normlessness where societal norms fail to regulate individual behavior, often due to disjunction between goals and means.

Why is crime higher in the U.S. according to Merton's Anomie Theory?

The U.S. emphasizes monetary success but weakens the importance of legitimate means to achieve it, creating pressure to deviate.

What are the four anomic values in "Crime and the American Dream"?

Achievement orientation, individualism orientation, universalism orientation, wealth orientation.

How does economic dominance affect crime according to Institutional Anomie Theory?

It weakens non-economic institutions (e.g., family, education), reducing their ability to enforce norms and control deviant behavior.

What are the five modes of adaptation in Merton's Strain Theory?

Conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion.

What is the main focus of Robert Agnew’s Contemporary Strain Theory?

Expanding strain theory to include multidimensional strains and their varying effects on individuals.

What are the three major types of strain in Agnew’s theory?

• Prevent achievement of valued goals.

• Remove positively valued stimuli.

• Present negatively valued stimuli.

When are strains most likely to lead to crime?

When they are perceived as unjust, severe, associated with low social control, or create pressure for criminal coping.

How does strain lead to crime?

Strain creates negative emotions (e.g., anger, frustration), and crime is a coping mechanism to reduce or escape these feelings.

What is Institutional Anomie Theory (IAT)?

A theory that crime results from the dominance of economic values over non-economic institutions, leading to weakened social norms and control.

What types of societies have lower crime rates according to IAT?

Societies with strong non-economic institutions like family, education, and religion.

What does Merton's Strain Theory struggle to explain?

Middle-class crime and crime unrelated to monetary or status goals.

What are the two types of strains in Contemporary Strain Theory?

• Objective strains: Disliked by most (e.g., poverty).

• Subjective strains: Varying personal evaluations of the same event.

What is the key difference between Anomie Theory and Strain Theory?

Anomie Theory focuses on societal-level disjunctions (macro), while Strain Theory examines individual pressures and motivations (micro).

How do non-economic institutions affect crime rates according to IAT?

When strong, they reduce the impact of economic stressors and foster social control, lowering crime rates.

According to Merton, the overwhelming goal in American society is

monetary success.

Which of the following is true about control theories?

It is human nature for people to break the law.

Which theory posits that when individuals experience strains (ex. feeling emotionally frustrated, upset, angry) that people may engage in crime?

General strain theory (Agnew)

“Even though I wanted to, I didn’t take drugs because I knew that my parents ‘would kill me’ and that I would disappoint them. So, even though I was out with my friends, I told my friends that I just wasn’t interested in getting high.” Which of Travis Hirschi’s social bonds best explain this statement?

Attachment

Which of the following is not a value commitment according to Messner & Rosenfeld?

Group orientation

According to A General Theory of Crime, a criminal predisposition is a

result of ineffective parenting.

From the perspective of Merton’s anomie theory, what would be an example of “legitimate means” of achieving cultural goals?

Formal education

“Mary did not steal the money because she was a straight A student and has a bright future ahead of her. If she broke the law, she might lose everything she’s worked for.” Which theory would best describe this statement?

Social bond theory

What is the concept that Agnew uses to describe events and conditions that are generally disliked by most people?

 Objective strains

In contrast to other theories, what question do control theories seek to answer?

Why don’t people commit crime?

According to Messner & Rosenfeld, when there is a strong emphasis on money and the economy dominates over all other institutional structures __________  which leads to crime

Institutions (family, school, politics) are weakened and unable to effectively serve as (informal) social controls

Which of the following statements about Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory is true?

Self-control explains why people who have conduct problems in childhood often also later engage in delinquency and then in adult crime.

“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” is an idea most consistent with which of Hirschi’s elements of the social bond?

 Involvement

Robert Merton believed that the United States had such a high crime rate because

there was a disjunction or gap between what many people were led to want—economic success—and what they had the means to achieve

If an individual justifies their delinquent actions by saying they acted due to circumstances beyond their control, what technique of neutralization have they used?

Denial of responsibility

According to Robert Merton’s classic strain theory, which of the following adaptations to strain is most likely to be associated with behaviors like drug addiction and vagrancy?

Retreatism

 According to Gottfredson and Hirschi, which of the following is true?

Opportunity for crime is ubiquitous

“In American society, crime is high, because the inability of large numbers of people to reach the goal of success causes norms to lose their power to regulate or control people’s behaviors.  People feel free to do whatever they want to reach their goals.” What theoretical concept best describes this situation?

Anomie

“John got into a fight because of all the strain he was feeling after he lost his job and his girlfriend broke up with him.” What type of strain is this according to Agnew’s general strain theory?

 The removal of positively valued stimuli

Which of the following is not considered a part of the nature of self-control?

 Risk-averse