Lecture 10 - Anomie/Strain Theories
Lecture 10 – Anomie/Strain Theories
Q: What did Émile Durkheim focus on in his research?
A: Social solidarity—how societies maintain cohesion and what binds individuals together.
Q: What are the two types of societies identified by Durkheim?
A: 1) Mechanical societies: Primitive societies with shared roles and beliefs.
2) Organic societies: Modern societies with cohesion through diverse roles and interdependence.
Q: What is the role of crime in society, according to Durkheim?
A: Crime reinforces social norms by showing what behaviors are not tolerated, increases social cohesion through collective condemnation, and can signal progress by challenging outdated norms.
Q: What is anomie?
A: A state of normlessness where social norms break down during rapid social changes, leading individuals to feel uncertain about expectations.
Q: How did Merton adapt Durkheim’s concept of anomie to American society?
A: Merton argued that anomie occurs when there is a gap between cultural goals (e.g., wealth) and the legitimate means to achieve them (e.g., education and hard work).
Q: What are Merton's five adaptations to strain?
A: 1) Conformity: Following rules despite the strain.
2) Innovation: Pursuing success through illegitimate means (e.g., crime).
3) Ritualism: Following rules without pursuing success.
4) Retreatism: Rejecting both goals and means (e.g., substance abuse).
5) Rebellion: Proposing new goals and means.
Q: Why is crime more prevalent in lower classes, according to Merton?
A: Fewer legitimate opportunities are available to achieve cultural goals.
Q: How did Richard Cloward extend Merton’s theory?
A: Cloward argued that individuals in lower-class neighborhoods may have access to illegitimate means, such as criminal networks, to achieve success.
Q: What was Albert Cohen’s contribution to strain theory?
A: Cohen focused on status frustration—youth from lower-class backgrounds fail to meet middle-class standards, leading them to rebel and form delinquent subcultures.
Q: What is the Middle-Class Measuring Rod?
A: A concept by Albert Cohen that explains how schools promote middle-class values, causing lower-class youth to experience frustration when they cannot meet these expectations.
Q: What are Cloward and Ohlin’s three delinquent subcultures?
A: 1) Criminal subculture: Crime for economic success.
2) Conflict subculture: Violence for status.
3) Retreatist subculture: Withdrawal from society (e.g., substance abuse).
Q: What are the three sources of strain identified by Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST)?
A: 1) Failure to achieve goals.
2) Removal of positively valued stimuli (e.g., loss of a loved one).
3) Presence of negative stimuli (e.g., abuse).
Q: How do individuals cope with strain, according to GST?
A: 1) Cognitive coping: Changing how they think about the situation.
2) Behavioral coping: Taking action to improve the situation.
3) Emotional coping: Managing emotions through healthy or unhealthy means.
Q: How do gender differences affect responses to strain?
A: Women experience strain differently and commit less crime, possibly due to differences in emotional responses or coping strategies.
Q: What did Broidy (2001) find about strain and delinquency?
A: Unfair outcomes increase anger, which drives delinquent behavior.
Q: What did Kam et al. (2010) find about minority youth and strain?
A: Anger and depression both influence delinquency among minority groups.
Q: How does Institutional Anomie Theory (IAT) by Messner and Rosenfeld explain crime?
A: It argues that the dominance of economic concerns over other social institutions (like family or education) drives crime in the U.S.
Q: What solution does IAT propose to reduce crime?
A: Strengthen non-economic institutions, such as family, education, and community organizations.
Q: What empirical evidence supports IAT?
A: States with stronger non-economic institutions (e.g., higher church attendance) have lower property crime rates.
Q: What was the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and Control Act (1961)?
A: A program under JFK aimed at addressing social structures contributing to delinquency through education, work opportunities, and community programs.
Q: How did Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty align with strain theories?
A: It focused on addressing the root causes of inequality to prevent delinquency.
Q: What happened to many social programs during Nixon's presidency?
A: They were dismantled due to political resistance.
Q: What are the criticisms of strain theories?
A: 1) Overemphasis on youth: Strain theories focus mainly on adolescents.
2) Varying responses to strain: Not everyone turns to crime—some adopt healthy coping strategies.
3) Broad definitions: The concept of strain can be too broad and difficult to apply consistently.