functionalism, strain & subcultural theories

what does durkheim say about crime?

it is universal and inevitable

how does society achieve social solidarity?

• socialisation

• social control

what are durkheim’s 2 reasons why crime and deviance is found in all societies?

• not everybody is effectively socialised

• there is a diversity of lifestyles and values

what 2 positive functions does crime fulfil according to durkheim?

• boundary maintenance

• adaptation and change

what is boundary maintenance?

crime produces a reaction from society which unites its members by reaffirming shared norms and values

what is adaptation and change?

all changes start with deviance, so for a society to progress, there first must be a deviant act

what did davis say a function of crime was?

safety valve

what did davis mean by safety valve?

crime such as prostitution acts as a safe channel for men to release their sexual frustration without threatening the monogamous nuclear family

what function did cohen believe crime performed?

warning

what did cohen mean by warning?

when crime or deviance occurs, it can be taken as a warning that an institution is not working properly

what function did erikson say deviance performed?

licensed deviance

what is meant by licensed deviance?

there are certain situations where deviant behaviour is accepted

what are the criticisms of the positive functions of crime?

• durkheim offers no way to measure the correct level of crime

• crime providing functions doesn’t explain why they exist

• ignores how crime affects groups or individuals

• crime does not always promote social solidarity

what are the strengths of the positive functions of crime?

• useful in showing the ways deviance is integral to society

• provides important and interesting analysis that directs attention to deviance’s latent functions

what are strain theories?

theories that argue people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to achieve socially approved goals by legitimate means

what two elements did merton say anomie consisted of?

• structural factors

• cultural factors

what did merton say deviance was a result of?

the goals a culture encourages individuals to achieve and what the institutional structure of society allows them to achieve legitimately

what is the american dream?

americans are expected to pursue the goal of material success and status by legitimate means

what are the 5 responses to anomie?

• conformity

• innovation

• ritualism

• retreatism

• rebellion

what are the strengths of merton’s approach?

• shows how both normal and deviant behaviour can derive from the same mainstream goals

• explains the patterns in official crime statistics

• lower class crime rates ARE higher due to less access to legitimate means

what are the weaknesses of merton’s approach?

• takes official statistics at face value

• all wc face strain, but only some deviate

• marxism - ignores power of ruling class to criminalise the poor

• assumes there is a value consensus

• only accounts for utilitarian crime

• ignores the role of group deviance

what do subcultural strain theories see deviance as the product of?

delinquent subcultures

what two grounds does cohen criticise merton on?

• merton ignores that much of deviance is committed in groups

• merton ignores non-utilitarian crime

what does cohen argue wc boys face?

anomie in a middle class dominated school system so they suffer from cultural deprivation

what is status frustration?

when wc boys cannot achieve status from legitimate means

what are the values of delinquent subcultures?

spite, malice, hostility and contempt for outsiders (inverted mainstream values)

what are the strengths of cohen’s theory?

• offers an explanation of non-utilitarian deviance

what are the weaknesses of cohen’s theory?

• assumes all wc boys start off sharing the mc success goals

• ignores the possibility that they never shared values

what did cloward and ohlin say about deviance and subcultures?

different subcultures respond in different ways to the lack of legitimate opportunities because of unequal access to illegitimate opportunity structures

what are the 3 types of deviant subcultures?

• criminal

• conflict

• retreatist

what is a criminal subculture?

• provides youths with an apprenticeship for a career in utilitarian crime

• arises in neighbourhoods with a history of stable criminal culture

what is a conflict subculture?

• in areas of high population turnover

• young people have loosely organised crime networks

• closest to cohen’s subculture

what is a retreatist subculture?

• not everybody who aspires to be successful criminals succeeds

• double failures turn to retreatism e.g., drug use

what extremely influential studies arised from the uni of chicago?

• cultural transmission theory

• differential association theory

• social disorganisation theory

what are the strengths of cloward and ohlin?

• strain theory has had major influences on later theories of crime & government policies e.g., ohlin and JFK

what are the weaknesses of cloward and ohlin?

• ignores the crimes of the wealthy

• overpredicts wc crime

• ignores wider power structure

• draws boundaries between different types of crime too sharply

• assumes everyone starts off sharing the same goals

• miller - lower class has its own independent subculture

• matza - most delinquents are not strongly committed to their subculture

who came up with institutional anomie theory?

messner and rosenfeld

what did messner and rosenfeld argue about deviance?

regarding the american dream, economic goals are the most valued so other institutions are undermined and welfare is neglected so high rates of crime are inevitable

what evidence is there to support institutional strain theory?

• dawnes and hansen - survey of crime rates and welfare - societies that spend more on welfare have lower rates of imprisonment