Term
| Merton's 5 Modes of Adaptation |
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Definition
| Conformity, Innovation, Ritualism, Retreatism, Rebellion |
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Term
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Definition
| One of Merton's 5 Modes of Adaptation to Anomie Strain. It is the most common reaction: People accept cultural goals and institutionalized means. People who conform are least likely to become criminal. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of Merton's 5 Modes of Adaptation to Anomie Strain. It is where individuals accept cultural goals but come up with their own means. Innovators are most likely to become criminal. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of Merton's 5 Modes of Adaptation to Anomie Strain. Ritualists believe that cultural goals are unattainable but still accept institutional means. They are unlikely to become criminal but are likely to be seen as unusual or deviant. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of Merton's 5 Modes of Adaptation to Anomie Strain. The rejection of both cultural goals and institutional means, likely to become deviant and retreat into the world of drugs/alcohol. |
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Term
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Definition
| One of Merton's 5 Modes of Adaptation to Anome Strain. It is the rejection of both cultural goals and institutional means. Rebels are likely to be viewed differently from other criminals, because they are committing acts for the greater good, rather than for personal. They try to replace cultural goals/means. |
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Term
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Definition
| The starter of structural-functionalism. |
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Term
| Parsons' Four Functional Imperatives |
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Definition
- Adaptation – Society had to adapt to its environment to obtain certain resources necessary for its survival
- Goal attainment – Society had to define/prioritize its goals and then strive to achieve them
- Integration – Society had to regulate/coordinate the inter-relationships of its subsystems
- Latency – Society had to maintain conforming behaviour by resolving strains and motivating individuals to conform |
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Term
| The 4 Parts of the Social System |
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Definition
- Family produces children, teaches them fundamental values (ex. Belief in merits of hard work, regard for property, respect for others)
- Schools provide basic knowledge and work skills and re-enforce fundamental values
- Religion supports basic values, provides spiritual avenue to cope with social and personal problems
- Economy allows individuals to work, earn and spend |
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Term
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Definition
| Functions that society intends and are often set out as formal institutional goals. |
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Term
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Definition
| Functions that society does not intend; they are usually informal and may have undesirable outcomes |
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Term
| Delinquent Boys: The Culture of the Gang |
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Definition
| Written by Albert Cohen in 1955. Spoke about how gang delinquency was most common among lower class males. Gangs engage in nonutilitarian (not functional or rational), malicious and negativistic (doesn’t accomplish anything) behaviour. Status deprivation resulted from not being able to meet middle class standards. Cohen viewed delinquent behaviour as a form of reaction formation (a hostile reaction to an adverse situation). He spoke briefly about how female delinquency is the result of frustration from sexual double standards and about how male delinquency is a result of anxiety about one's masculinity. |
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Term
| Structural or Strain Theory |
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Definition
| Points to lack of institutional means to achieve culturally valued goals. |
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Term
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Definition
| Describes process through which individuals/subgroups become delinquent |
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Term
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Definition
| Attempts to bring elements of structure and process together |
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Term
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Definition
| Assumes that most of us aspire to middle class standards/values and those who don’t are delinquent |
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Term
| Differential Opportunity Theory |
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Definition
| Theory developed by Cloward and Ohlin, with roots in Differential Association and Strain Theory. They talked about status discontentment and how there were illegitimate opportunity structures available if institutional means did not work. These illegitimate opportunity structures were: criminal, conflict and retreatist subcultures. |
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Term
| Illegitimate Opportunity Structures |
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Definition
| A Chicago School addition to Merton's Strain Theory. The Chicago School said delinquent subcultures emerge where there are enough youths available to band together and reject conventional values. Cloward and Ohlin identified three illegitimate opportunity structures; the criminal, conflict and retreatist subcultures. |
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Term
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Definition
- One of Cloward and Ohlin's illegitimate opportunity structures.
- Criminal subculture found in “organized” slums, as opposed to “disorganized” slums
- Pre-existing crime network, focused on profit-making
- Older, more experienced offenders would serve as role models for the younger, wanna-be offenders |
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Term
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Definition
- One of Cloward and Ohlin's illegitimate opportunity structures
- Exist in disorganized slums
- Discontented youth do not have access to illegitimate opportunity structures of the criminal subculture
- Rebelled against society and middle class values nevertheless
- Characterized by violence, gang fighting, acting tough |
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Term
| The Retreatist Subculture |
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Definition
- One of Cloward and Ohlin's illegitimate opportunity structures
- Described by the drug subculture
- Required existence of enough youths who have been double failures
- Can't obtain status through legitimate means, so use drugs to solve status discontentment |
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Term
| Criticisms of Anomie-Strain Theory |
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Definition
- If blocked opportunities are the cause of crime, then why aren’t there more women criminals?
- Too specific to American society and the so-called American Dream
- Assumption that everyone has the same interest in monetary success
- Assumption that socially disadvantaged feel greater degree of anomie-strain because they lack access to legitimate opportunity structures (institutional means) |
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Term
| Institutional Anomie Theory |
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Definition
| Described by Messner and Rosenfeld (1994) in 'Crime and the American Dream', describing how the economy dominates over other social institutions, resulting in unregulated, unrestrained choice, a competitive ends justify the means attitude and a devaluation of the institutional balance of power. It is a macro-level theory which can explain white collar/corporate crime. |
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Term
| Institutional Anomie Theory's Social Institutions |
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Definition
| The economy, the family, the polity, education. |
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