Topic 1 - Functionalist, strain and subcultural theories

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22 Terms

1
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Who argues that crime is inevitable

  • Durkheim

2
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Why does Durkheim view crime as inevitable

  • Not everyone is effectively socialised into norms and values

  • Postmodern society there are many diverse views, people view acts as deviant

3
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What is anomie

  • Sense of normlessness

4
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What two positive functions does Durkheim argue that crime fulfils

  • Boundary maintenance

  • Adaptation and change

5
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What is boundary maintenance

  • Crime producing a reaction in society, punishment from this crime can reinforce shared norms and values

6
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What is adaptation and change

  • All change starts from an act of deviance

  • Challenging different norms and values

  • Could in the long run give rise to new norms

7
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Who argues prostitution is a safety valve

  • Davis

  • Acts as a safety valve to release of men’s sexual frustration without threatening the monogamous nuclear family

8
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Who argues that deviance acts as a warning to institutions not functioning properly

  • Cohen

  • E.g. high rate of truancy shows that there is problems with education system

9
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Criticisms of functionalist perspectives

  • No way of knowing what is the right amount of deviance

  • People do not commit crime with the intention of strengthening solidarity

  • Crime may not always lead to social solidarity, could cause fear

10
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Who argues strain theory

  • Merton

11
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What is strain theory argument

  • Immersion in the ‘American dream’ tells Americans that their society is meritocratic

  • However many disadvantaged group are denied the opportunity to achieve legitimately so turn to illegitimate means of acquiring material goods

  • Strain between cultural goal of money and the means to achieve it

12
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What does Merton describe this strain as

  • The strain to anomie

13
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What are Mertons 5 deviant adaptations to strain

  • Conformity - Accept cultural goals and strive to achieve

  • Innovation - accepts goals of money success using new illegitimate means

  • Ritualism - follow rules for their own sake, mc dead end office jobs

  • Retreatism - reject goals and legitimate means, become dropouts

  • Rebellion - rejects existing norms and replaces them with societal norms

14
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Evaluation of Mertons strain theory

  • Sees crime as mainly WC

  • Marxists argue it ignores ruling class laws to criminalise the poor

  • Assumes value consensus of goals

  • Only accounts for utilitarian crime

15
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Who argues status frustration

  • Cohen

16
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What does cohen mean by status frustration

  • Offering boys higher status hierarchy if they have failed legitimate opportunity structure

  • Helps to explain non-economic factors such as truancy in school

17
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Who argued that there was 3 subcultures

  • Cloward and Ohlin

18
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What are the 3 subcultures and why are they formed

  • formed due to response in diffferent ways to the lack of legitimate opportunities

    1. Criminal subculture

    2. Conflict subculture

    3. Retreatist subculture

19
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What is a criminal subculture

  • Organised crime for a career in utilitarian crime

  • Provide youths with opportunity for organised utilitarian crime

20
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What is conflict subcultures

  • Gangs and violence

  • Allows young men to release violence and frustration

21
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What is a Retreatist subculture

  • ‘Double failures’

  • Fail in both legitimate and illegitimate opportunities

  • Turn to drugs and alcohol

22
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Eval for Cloward and Ohlin

  • Not everyone starts of sharing the same mainstream goals

  • Miller - WC have their own subcultural goals

  • Matza - most are not committed to their subculture, they drift in and out of delinquency