Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Functionalism & crime (Criticism (Marxist critique - Consensus is…
Functionalism & crime
Crime= Functional
Certain amount of deviance=Positive, necessary to generate social change. Innovation only happens if old ideas are challenged. Clarifies boundries of behaviour through social reaction. Bonds society against criminals.
Crime=Dysfunctional
Also acts as threat as Norms and Val's that unite society are being challenged, threatening consensus, social order and stability.
Cause of C&D
Occurred due to anomie, and through times of rapid social change as society loses track of norms
Social order&Control
Agreement/consensus over society's norms lead to institutions successfully implementing social control. Seen as positive, as it creates social cohesion. Social control is achieved by various agencies socialising individuals into agreed Ns and Vs. E.g School does so bonding people in communities and classes, other institutions e.g religion do so too..
Parsons argues sickness can be seen as deviant and can de-stabilise society therefore medical profession performs restrict access to the 'sick role', in this way illegitimate illness is minimised, stability then maintained.
S and W
Strengths - Generated research and influenced other theories, e.g control theories, therefore made a massive contribution to study of C&D
Weaknesses - Not clear of how much crime is the right amount, does not take victims into account when saying crime is beneficial, does not explain why some commit crime and some don't, also assumes that norms and laws reflect wishes of population, does not consider possibility of powerful group imposing values
-
Criticism
Marxist critique - Consensus is illusion, conceals reality of one class imposing its will.
Values are manipulated by ruling class.
Laws do not reflect shared values, but imposition of one class by its ideology, and if under threat can criminalise the threat
Other criticism - Subcultural approach highlighted group nature, functionalism sees deviance as an individual society relationship.
Interactionists argued that this approach ignores processes that take place in creation of deviance and crime
HOWEVER, Functionalism represents an approach distinct from previous biological and psychological approaches.
It is to correct to assume to some extent that society needs values to survive, however it focuses on this too much