Sociological Theories in Criminology

Vocabulary-based flashcards covering key sociological concepts, life-course theories, and learning theories as applied to criminology.

Division of labour

Specific types of work tasks and roles within a society.

Collective conscience

A set of beliefs and sentiments common to a whole society that helps control impulses and builds cohesiveness.

Anomie

A state of normlessness that sets in during times of rapid social change when established norms become less applicable to changing social circumstances.

Sociological imagination

A concept by C. Wright Mills ($1959$) stating that social structure lies at the root of private troubles.

Social Process Theories

A category of sociological theories that focus on interactions between people, including Life-Course, Learning, and Control theories.

Social Structure Theories

A category of sociological theories that focus on how society is organized and the distribution of social and economic resources, such as Social Disorganization and Strain Theory.

Life Course Theories

Theories that examine criminal behavior and offending patterns at different stages of an individual's life.

Prefrontal cortex

The part of the brain that helps inhibit impulses and continues to develop until the mid-$20s$, impacting decision-making and risk-taking.

Flatter age curves

A variation in the crime-age relationship characterized by an older peak and slower decline in offending, often found in cultures where youth have greater access to legitimate opportunities.

Life-course-persistent offenders

A small group in Moffitt's Taxonomy who exhibit early, chronic, and serious antisocial behavior that continues throughout their lives due to neuropsychological and environmental factors.

Adolescence-limited offenders

A large group of offenders in Moffitt's Taxonomy who commit mostly minor offences during adolescence and desist as they transition into adult roles.

Maturity gap

One of the origins of offending for adolescence-limited offenders, occurring when there is a disconnect between biological maturity and social transition into adult roles.

Differential Association Theory

A theory by Edwin H. Sutherland from $1947$ proposing that criminal behavior is learned through interaction and communication within intimate personal groups.

Definitions favourable to the violation of law

Excessive attitudes or rationalizations that lead a person to become delinquent when they outweigh definitions unfavourable to the violation of law.