SOCIOLOGY 325-DUMAS FINAL

what are control theories perceived as supporting?

high levels of discipline, regulation, and punishment

does control theory identify something unique about the offender that makes them different than society?

no it does not

what is the central assumption behind control theories?

deviance is the result of an absence of control or restraint

What does Travis Hirschi believe causes delinquency?

lack of social bonding

what are the four components of a person’s bond to society?

1. Involvement

2. belief (in law)

3. commitment

4. attachment

when was the Chicago school of sociology created?

1920

why was the Chicago school created?

to understand the natural laws of social existence and how communities had deteriorated

The Chicago School Theorists noted unique processes taking place within communities, in a nutshell they argued what?

social space, or ecology, was responsible for crime and deviance

what three things was the Chicago School influenced by:

1. Durkheim’s transition from mechanical to organic solidarity

2. Population growth in Chicago

3. WWI, stock market crash, industrialism, etc.

what is Nativism?

a collective action involving hostility to preserve American culture

What did Thomas and Znaniecki write in “The Polish Peasant in America”?

there were disruptive forces attached to immigration, people had problems integrating into society and it caused deviant behaviour on both parts

What three things did Thomas and Znaniecki discover?

1. old world values did not work in the new world

2. social controls were difficult to exert

3. no normative order→ anything goes mentality

what is the order of the concentric zone model from inside to out?

1. central business district

2. transitional

3. working class

4. residential

5. commuter

what is the order of the concentric zone outside to inside?

1. commuter

2. residential

3. working class

4. transitional

5. central business district

what zone has no clear normative order? (anything goes mentality)

transitional zone

what happens to the social problems as the circle moves OUTWARDS

they lessen

what were Shaw and McKay’s three conclusions regarding the ecological model of crime and deviance?

1. social problems can be demonstrated by mapping

2. transition zone has the highest level of social problems

3. all types of social problems exist

Why is the social disorganization model heavily criticized?

it does not apply well to all cities

Info about the commuter zone

crime is much less (suburbans)

what is dilapidation?

the city being run down

what is disorganization?

the inability of a community or individual to realize their values

what was Stark argue?

-we should pay attention to the city as a cause of crime

-transition zone is characterized by high density, poverty, and transience

what does Stark say about moral cynicism?

it increases opportunities for crime and increases motivations for crime

Stark’s Key Hypotheses

-the greater the density of a neighbourhood, the higher the level of moral cynicism

-where homes are crowded, there will be lower levels of supervision of children (has been validated)

-dense, poor, mixed-use, transient neighbourhoods tend to be dilapidated. Dilapidation is a social stigma.

what is moral cynicism?

people do not believe in and follow norms

-”if everyone else isn’t following social norms, then why should I?”

why is dilapidation a social stigma?

-it makes people feel poor, looked down upon

if crime is caused by disorganization then what is the solution?

reorganization (i.e. Blockwatch, neighbourhood watch, etc.)

What does Kobrin argue about the Chicago Area Project

crime increased at a decreasing rate compared to other cities like Detroit

four problems with social disorganization

1. how to correctly measure disorganization

2. isomorphism (cause and effect)

3. not tested rigorously

4. corporate crime not examined

what is the corresponding sanction/punishment for the following perspective: Demonic

torture and confession

what is the corresponding sanction/punishment for the following perspective: Classical

prison (most common practice)

what is the corresponding sanction/punishment for the following perspective: Pathology

scientific treatment (fixing people)

what is the corresponding sanction/punishment for the following perspective: Functionalism

whatever society dictates

what is the corresponding sanction/punishment for the following perspective: Ecology

reorganization (Chicago Area Project)

what is the corresponding sanction/punishment for the following perspective: Strain

remove myth of equal opportunity, establish equal opportunity

what do learning theorists say crime and deviance the result of

pure socialization

Key Ideas from Sutherland and Cressey’s study on Learning Theory/Differential Association

1. criminal behaviour is learned

2. criminal behaviour is learned in interaction with other persons in a process of communication

3. learning criminal behaviour occurs within intimate personal groups

4. when they learn the behaviour they learn:

a. techniques of committing the crime

b. the specific direction of motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes

what is the most important takeaway from Sutherland and Cressey’s Learning theory?

-differential associations may vary in frequency, duration, priority, and intensity

-these are variables that pull people together

T/F: if a child were to spend enough time interacting with others who are deviant, then they may also become delinquent?

True

what is learning theory also known as?

cultural deviance theory or differential association

what are Kornhauser’s Three Criticisms:

1. wo/man has no nature: nothing biological about it, people just soak in messages from society

2. socialization is perfect and complete

3. sub/cultural variability is unlimited: individuals have been recruited and been taught norms/values of it

Do Korhhauser’s suggested problems make the theory entirely useless and descriptive rather than explanatory?

Yes

Cultural Deviance Models: Matza

-delinquents DRIFT in and out of crime

-learning theory has serious flaws, techniques of neutralization gives it more promise

-5 techniques of neutralization

what are the five techniques of neutralization?

1. denial of responsibility

2. denial of injury

3. denial of the Victim

4. condemning the condemners

5. appeal to higher loyalties

social aggregate

people who get together, no sense of solidarity or collective interest

subgroup

different from society, shared commonalities and solidarity

what do learning theorists do in terms of crime?

-they offer clear ways to deal with crime problems

-offer non invasive techniques

what does control theory believe about learning?

learning is constant

what does control theory believe about control?

control varies among people

what does learning theory believe about learning?

learning is variable, we learn different things from different people

what does learning theory believe about control?

control is constant

what is the saying for learning theorists

“monkey see, monkey do”

what is the saying for control theorists?

“birds of a feather, flock together” →deviants seek out other deviants

who put forth a self-control theory of crime? what year?

1990, Gottfredson and Hirschi

what is self-control theory?

aging + low levels of self-control = crime

those who engage in criminal behaviour demonstrate self-control which is a result of what?

poor parenting

T/F: control theories do not help explain why males offend more than females

True

who suggested the power-control theories? what are they?

John Hagan, patriarchal and egalitarian

which family structure has higher delinquency rates for FEMALES?

egalitarian families; equal couples

what are some characteristics of moral panics?

concern, hostility, consensus, disproportionality, and volatility

T/F: all of the attributes of moral panic be present for it to exist?

True

what is labelling theory also known as?

societal reactionist perspective

what did Edwin Lemert argue?

deviance is in the eye of the beholder or crusader

what are labelling theorists concerned with:

-the socio-historical development of deviant labels

-the application of labels to certain types of people at certain places and times

-symbolic and practical consequences of labels

primary deviance

common instances where individuals violate norms without viewing themselves as being involved in the deviant role, triggers the labelling process

secondary deviance

a person engaging in deviant behaviour as a means of defence

what do labelling theorists believe about crimes?

there should be no crimes if there are no victims

what do labelling theorists argue?

they should assert as little control over deviants as possible

what are the main problems with labelling theory?

-causal critique

-the normative critique

-the structural critique

what is the causal critique?

labelling theorists do not actually explain what causes primary deviance

what is the normative critique?

put forth by functionalists who maintain that deviance is not a whimsical label, but an action that violates a real social norm.

what is the structural critique?

levied by conflict theorists/neo-Marxists, they claim that labelling theorists fail to examine capitalism in their theory (i.e. the wealthy are never labelled as deviant/criminal as much as the poor)