sociology - functionalist theory of crime and deviance

what is societal deviance

forms of deviance that are seen by most members of society as being deviant, as they share similar ideas about approved and unapproved behaviour (e.g murder, child abuse)

what is situational deviance

the context (e.g location) in which an act takes place, and how this affects whether or not an act is seen as deviant

what are the key functionalists for crime and deviance (2)

1. Emilié Durkheim

2. Merton

what did Durkheim believe about crime and deviance

its beneficial for society, present in all societies

why is crime inevitable according to him

individuals are exposed to different circumstances and influences, so despite society being bound together by shared norms and values, not everyone can be equally committed to the shared values and moral beliefs of society

what else does he say about crime

its functional

when does crime become dysfunctional according to durkheim

when there is too much or too little, despite the potential threats to social order

what regions see higher crime rates and why

industrialised societies and cities → consensus, community and social controls are weaker, so people are more likely to experience anomie

what is anomie

a sense of moral confusion that weakens their commitment to shared values and rules

what are the 5 benefits of crime and deviance according to Durkheim

1. strengthening collective values

2. by enabling social change

3. by acting as a ‘safety valve’

4. by acting as a warning device

5. reaffirms social boundaries

what is strengthening collective values (2)

• values can waste away unless people are reminded of the boundaries between right and wrong behaviour

• media frequently carries dramatic stories of crime, sparking a sense of public outrage. this unites the public in acts of disapproval, reasserts boundaries of acceptable behaviour and strengthens collective values

example of strengthening collective values (2)

9/11, murder of George Floyd

what is enabling social change

some deviance is necessary to allow new ideas to develop, enabling society to change and progress

example of enabling social change (2)

rosa parks, Martin Luther king

what is acting as a ‘safety valve’

can be used to release stresses in society, as an outlet for expressions of discontent avoiding wider and more serious challenges to social order

example of acting as a ‘safety valve’

protests

what is acting as a warning device

society is not working properly, so crime and deviance reveal underlying social problems that need solving before serious threats to social order develop

example of acting as a warning device

media coverage of truancy, teen pregnancy

what is reaffirming social boundaries (2)

• the purpose of social punishment is to reaffirm society’s shared rules and reinforce social solidarity

• public displays of punishment act as a deterrent for future criminals and dissuades them from committing crimes

example of reaffirming social boundaries

media coverage of court cases

what is the usefulness of functionalist approaches/Durkheim’s approach? (2)

• shows the ways in which deviance is integral to society

• provides an important and interesting analysis that directs attention to the ways in which deviance can have hidden or latent (unintended) functions for society

evaluations of Durkheim (6)

1. he never explains why certain groups commit crime

2. functionalism fails to ask who the crime is beneficial/functional for

3. he neglects the fact that some crimes are always dysfunctional (rape, child assault)

4. marxists argue he underestimates the level of conflict and inequality in society

5. he offers no measure of knowing how much crime is the ‘right’ amount

6. crime doesn’t always promote solidarity, may lead to people becoming more isolated

when did Robert Merton work

1938

what was central to the development of his theory

the Wall Street Crash (New York, 1929) → revealed a mismatch between aspiration and reality

according to the ‘American dream’, what do all members of society have

an equal opportunity of achieving success

what does American culture value

‘money success’ → individual material wealth and the high status that goes with it

what are Americans expected to do

pursue this goal by legitimate means

what happens in reality

many disadvantaged groups are denied opportunities to achieve legitimately

what happens in a balanced society

an equal emphasis is placed on both cultural goals and institutionalised means, and members are satisfied with both

how is this different in America

great importance is attached to success, and relatively little importance is given to the accepted ways of achieving success → American society is unstable as a result

how does Merton attempt to explain why deviance arises in the first place (4)

• social order is based on consensus around social goals and approved means of achieving them

• most people share goals and most conform to the approved means of achieving them

• however, in an unequal society this is not possible → resources and opportunities are not fairly distributed in capitalist society

• those at the bottom may experience a strain between their goals and legitimate institutional means

what 2 factors does he focus on

1. structural factors → society’s unequal opportunity structure

2. cultural factors → strong emphasis on success goals and the weaker emphasis on using legitimate means to achieve them

what can this strain create

anomie, which merton argues individuals can respond to in 5 ways

what is anomie

a sense of moral confusion

what are the 5 responses

• conformity

• innovation

• ritualism

• retreatism

• rebellion

what is conformity (do they accept means and goals, example)

accept means and goals → lawyer, architect, doctor

what is innovation (do they accept means and goals, example)

they don’t accept means, they do accept goals → drug dealer, porn star

what is ritualism (do they accept means and goals, example)

they accept means, reject goals → car park attendant, low level admin worker

what is retreatism (do they accept means and goals, example)

reject means, reject goals → drug addicts, homeless people

what is rebellion (do they accept means and goals, example)

replace means, replace goals → terrorists, environmentalists

positive evaluations of Merton’s strain theory (3)

1. crime isn’t simplistically seen as a product of human weakness and low morals → points to underlying structural pressures that push some people to commit crimes when they can’t get what they ‘reasonably’ want through ordinary legal means

2. helps policymakers tackle some underlying causes of crime rather than simply blaming the perpetrator

3. crime statistics demonstrate there is a positive correlation between increased levels of unemployment and increased levels of property crimes → consistent with the prediction of strain theory that economic adversity heightens the pressure on people to steal

negative evaluations on Merton’s strain theory (7)

1. he takes a consensus around means and goals for granted, assuming most people accept them → not everyone accepts goals like financial success

2. focuses on individual responses + doesn’t recognise there is a social pattern of crime and deviance affecting whole groups of people, linked to social class, age, gender, ethnicity etc.

3. doesn’t explain why most people who face strain don’t turn to crime or other deviance

4. doesn’t recognise there may be many outwardly respectable successful people, who are ‘innovators’ engaged in illegal activities (white collar, corporate crime)

5. his theory does not explain many forms of violent and sexual crimes

6. he fails to ask who benefits from the capitalist system and especially the law that underpins it

7. his theory takes official crime statistics at face value → these over represent w.c. crime, so Merton sees crime as a mainly w.c phenomenon