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Topic 1 Durkheim's theory of crime - Coggle Diagram
Topic 1 Durkheim's theory of crime
General Functionalist idea
Functionalist see society as based on value consensus meaning members of society share a common culture and produces social solidarity
To achieve social solidarity society has 2 mechanics Socialisation instils the shared culture of its members and social control including rewards for conformity and punishments for deviance
See crime as inevitable and universal every know society has some level of deviance and crime. There are 2 reasons for this 1) Not everyone is equally socialised into shared norms and values so some individuals are prone to deviance 2) In modern society there is a diversity of lifestyles. Different groups develop their own subcultures with different norms and values
Positive Functions of Crime
Boundary Maintenance
Crime produces a reaction from society which leads to people uniting to condemning the wrongdoer. This reinforces shared norms and values in a society.
The purpose of punishment for a crime is to reaffirm societies shared rules and reinforce social solidarity. This can be done through courtrooms where the offender is pubilicy shamed
Adaptation and Change
All changes start with an act of deviance. Individuals with new ideas, values and ways of living must not be completely stifled by the weight of social control. There must be room for them to challenge and change existing norms and values and in the first instance this will appear deviance
However in a long run their values may give rise to a new culture and morality. If those with new ideas are suppressed, society would never progress
In Durkheim's view, modern societies lean towards anomie (normlessness) meaning the rules that govern behaviour become weaker, and less clear cut because modern societies have a specialised division of labour so we are increasingly different which weakens our collective consensus
Evaluations
Durkheim states that society requires a certain amount of deviance to function but he doesn't actually consider specifically how much
Functionalists explain the function of crime but this isn't actually why crimes are committed
Functionalists focus on the effects of crime for society as a whole and they ignore how this may effect certain group or individuals eg seeing a murderer being punished if functional in trerms of reinforcing social solidarity for society but it isn't functional for the victims.
Crime doesn't always promote social solidarity it can lead to people feeling isolated.
Other functionalists which has identified positive functions
Polsky- Pornography safely channels a variety of sexual desirers away from alternatives such as adultery
Societies also manage regulate deviance through allowing festivals, demonstrations may allow certain behaviours that in other contexts could be punished