crime and deviance-functionalism

what are durkheims 4 functions

1) promotes social solidarity

2)facilitates boundary maintence

3)reduces anomie

4)deviance is a safety valve

what is promoting social solidarity?

that crimes unites members of society against a common threat

“brings together upright consciences”

what is faciliating boundary maintence?

crime helps to define the boundaries of acceptable behaviour

reinforces social cohesion by emphasising norms and values

what is meant by reducing anomie?

anomie= chaos/loss of norms+values

crime can reduce and contribute to anomie

what is meant by deviance as a safety valve?

deviance can “let off steam” to prevent worse deviance

Davis argues that prostitution is safety valve to avoid rape and more.

Polsky says porn is a safety valve to reduce adultry

Durkheim evaluation?

• dont know how much deviance is good deviance

• dosent explain WHY crime is comitted

• assumes crime has positive roles and ignores the experince of the victim

• crime can isolate people and not connect them

What is Mertons strain theory?

a strain exists between goals and ambitions and their ability to acheive them

leads to ppl abonding the goal or the way it is achieved

can lead to a strain towards anomie(ppl reaching for their goals illegally)

what does meron say about the American Dream?

he blames it for strain theory

argued there are 5 ways in which people responded to it

what are the 5 responses Merton highlights to the American dream?

1. conformity

2. innovation

3. ritualism

4. retreatism

5. rebellion

what is the conformiy response to teh american dream?

Those at the top of the social structure could conform both to the goals of American society, and the legitimate means of achieving them.  w

what is the innovation response to the american dream?

Primarily the working classes would adapt through innovation, commiting crimes (e.g robbery) where they conformed to the goals, but used illegal methods of achieving them. 

American society encouraged this response by under emphasising the importance of legitimate means, and over emphasising the cultural goals

what is the retreatism response to the American dream?

Members give up on the goals and the legitimate means of achieving them, becoming drop outs, down and outs, alcoholics, drug addicts, etc.

what is the ritualism response to the american dream?

Members of society, typically the lower middle class give up on the goals, and just go through the ritual of following the legitimate means of achieving them.

what is the rebellion response to the american dream?

people reject the goals of society, and the means of achieving those goals, and aim to replace them with different goals and different means of achieving those different goals.

merton evaluation ?

• Valier=argued merton overemphasised existance of common goals

• Taylor=argued that Merton neglected the role of power relationships

• assumes people are deviant due to structural strain