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Functionalist Theories of Crime - Coggle Diagram
Functionalist Theories of Crime
Crime and Deviance are
Useful
and
Necessary
in Society
Reinforce the
consensus
of values, norms and behaviour of the
majority
non-deviant population - people can join together in
outrage
As a result, the
differences
between
deviant behaviour
and
non-deviant behaviour
are
reinforced
- this is know as
boundary maintenance
Durkheim
(1897) said deviance allows for
social change
to occur
If society reacts
positively
to
deviant behaviour
, it starts the process for that behaviour to be seen as
non-deviant
in the future
However,
Durkheim
said crime becomes
dysfunctional
when the level of crime is either
too high
or
too low
Too
high
, and it threatens
social order
Too
low
, and there's no
social change
Argues that all societies need some change to remain
healthy
and
stable
Cohen
- 2 Ways Deviance Maintains Social Order
Cohen
(1966) argued that forms of deviance such as
prostitution
provide a
safety valve
for releasing tension without threatening social stability
He argued that deviant behaviour is used as a
warning device
by society to
identify
emerging
social problems
, which can then be dealt with
Merton
- Crime = a
Response
to
Failing
to
Achieve
Society's Cultural Goals
Merton
(1968) concluded from his
American
study that the vast majority of individuals share the
same goals
but don't have
equal access
to the means of
achieving
them
Identified the
main cultural goals
in
American
society as
success
and
wealth
- known as the
American Dream
Said the main means of achieving those goals was through the
education system
When individuals
fail
or are
excluded
from the system, this creates
anomie
(a lack of values, and a feeling of normlessness)
When an individual is
unable
to achieve society's cultural goals due to factors
beyond their control
, it causes a
strain
which leads to
deviant behaviour
Know as
strain theory
5
Adaptations to Strain
Conforming
- people who
still try
to achieve the main cultural goals through
legitimate
means are said to
conform
Ritual
- people who can't achieve society's goals and have
stopped trying
may still
act legitimately
because they're used to the
ritual
Retreating
- people who
reject
the main cultural
goals
and the
means
of achieving them may
retreat
from society - e.g. by
dropping out
of school,
drinking
excessively or taking
drugs
Rebelling
- instead of retreating people, people may
rebel
against society, and engage in
protest
and revolution to try change it
Innovating
- people who
fail
at the
standard route
to success
innovate
to find
alternative
and
deviant
means of reaching success and wealth - e.g.
crime
Differential Association Theory
Sutherland
(1939) argued that
deviance
is
learned
- criminals learn
criminal behaviour
from other **criminals
This may be within the
family
, if the
parents
are criminals, or through
friends, associates
or
gangs
Known as
differential association theory
, as deviance (including criminal
attitudes, values
and
techniques
) is
passed on
through
association
with other deviants
Cohen
-
WC boys
Experience
Status Frustration
Subcultural
theories say that the
cultural vales
of some
groups
actually
encourage deviance
Some deviance is
conformity
to norms and values - just
different
norms and values to
mainstream society
Said delinquent gangs provide
prestige
for adolescents
frustrated
at their
lack of status
in society
Cohen
(1995) said that
WC boys
have a
lack of opportunities
to succeed in mainstream society, largely due to
cultural deprivation
This leads to
dissatisfaction
with their social position - he called this
status frustration
This tension is
released
by joining or creating groups which have
alternative values
for achieving status
These values tend to be the
reverse
of mainstream society's - behaviour deviant in society becomes
normal
and
valued
in the subcultural group
E.g.
petty crime
or
drug taking
might be valued by the group
Cloward
and
Ohlin
-
3 Subcultures
that Lead to Deviance
Cloward and Ohlin
(1960)
combined
the ideas of
Merton
and
Cohen
They believed there's a
legitimate opportunity structure
, and an
illegitimate opportunity structure
Argued that
access
to the
illegitimate
opportunity structure could be
unequal
, just like access to the
legitimate
system
In some areas, there are
criminal gangs
which provide adolescents with a deviant route to success, and in some areas there aren't
This explains why
not all
frustrated WC boys turned to
crime
Came up with
3 different subcultures
which encourage different types of
deviance
:
Conflict
- In areas that
don't
have an established criminal culture (often due to factors such as a
rapidly changing population
), young people organise themselves into
gangs
Their crimes tend to be
non-utilitarian
e.g.
violence
or
vandalism
Often engage in
'turf wars'
with other gangs
Retreatist
- Young people who have
failed
in
both
the
legitimate
and
illegitimate
opportunity structure
retreat
from society and turn to
drink
or
drugs
Criminal
- Some areas have an
established criminal culture
, where young people can be taught by
adult career criminals
Crime in these areas is usually
utilitarian
(crimes that make
money
, such as
robbery
and
selling drugs
)
Areas controlled by a
mafia
or
mob
Criticisms
Assume
that the majority of people aspire to the
mainstream goals
of success and wealth
Taylor, Walton and Young
(1973) point to deviant groups, such as
hippies
, who
don't
share these goals
Subcultural theories often
assume
there's
no overlap
between these 3 types of subculture
E.g. you can be part of a retreatist and a criminal subculture
at the same time