CJC 201 Chapter 9: Anomie & Strain Theories

Mismatch of expectations/goals and means produces what?

Anomie

What’s anomie?

A state of normlessness which lowers social controls and increases crime

Durkheim

Father of sociology

Merton said that:

Crime is a result of a social structure that stresses high achievement goals

What was Merton’s theory of deviance?

Anomie + mismatch of goals produces strain

What are the 5 modes of adaptation (CRIRR)

Conformity, ritualism, innovation, retreatism, rebellion

Conformity example

Sticking it out at a job for a hopeful promotion

Ritualism is

Sticking it out at job bc bills have to be paid

Retreatism is

Let’s just go and get trashed got any weed

Innovator is

Heading to the top and not caring who gets hurt on the way

Rebel is

Workers uniting bc they have nothing to lose but their chains

Subculture theories

Are a part of the larger culture. Crime results from subcultures

Al Cohen

Lower class expected to follow middle class goals but cannot

Cloward and Ohlin (CCR)

Criminal, conflict, Retreatism subcultures

Miller

Lower class operates under focal concerns

What are some examples of focal concerns according to Miller

Trouble, toughness, smartness

Messner and Rosenfeld

Institutional anomie theory

What’s institutional anomie theory

Social structural and cultural factors effect national crime trends

What are the 4 value orientations conductive to higher crime?

Achievement orientation, individualism, universalism, fetishism of money

What’s achievement orientation

A persons value = achievement or possessions

What’s individualism

Bootstrap mentality

What’s universalism

Normative expectation of success goal

What’s fetishism of money

Whoever has the most wins

Agnew

General strain theory. 3 major types

What are the 3 major types of strain according to Agnew

Inability to reach goals, removal of good stimuli, introduction of bad stimuli

What are the ways that strains are experienced?

Direct, vicarious, anticipated

Direct strains are:

Subjective (individual) or objective (universal)

What is vicarious strain?

Witnessing others strain

What is anticipated strain?

Risk or fear of possible strain

Strains lead to:

More negative emotions

Criminal coping in strain

When crime is used as a coping mechanism

Agnew says that strain itself is

NOT sufficient to produce deviance

What increases criminal coping risk?

Individual factors or social factors