Chat with AIExam 12: Social Explanations
Sociological theories of crime focus on:
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How does Merton's concept of anomie differ to Durkheim's?
(29) VerifiedResponses could include:
-Durkheim argued that during periods of rapid social change (seen in era of industrialisation), values and social norms that control the behaviour of individuals break down.Without clear rules and boundaries, individuals struggle to adjust to the changing conditions of society.This leads to dissatisfaction, frustration, conflict and deviance: anomie
-Merton did not agree with Durkheim's claim that anomie emerged from the breakdown of social norms and values as a result of rapid social change
-Merton considered the primary factor was the inability of social systems to exercise control.He claimed that anomie emerged in situations of stable social conditions.
The premise of Merton's argument was:
-Certain goals are strongly emphasised in society; e.g.attainment of wealth or financial success
-Society strongly identifies with legitimate means of achieving wealth; e.g.training, education, commitment to work
-However, in America inequalities (like lack of access to education and employment) meant that certain groups could not achieve the desired goal of wealth.However, achieving the goal remained highly important leading to an over-emphasis on the goal at the cost of approved means.In response, those members of society experiencing strain adapted the means to achieve the goal
-The imbalance between the goal and means created anomie-a breakdown of societal values which produced strain and deviance.
How can feminist theory be applied to provide an understanding of domestic violence?
(25) VerifiedResponses could include:
-Feminist theory focuses on power relationships and inequality
-Looks at who wields the power and how this impacts on women
-Recognises that women are structurally disadvantaged
-Women are disempowered in the legal and criminal justice systems
-Defines crime as gender-based and identifies gender-related types of crime
-Particularly concerned with male violence towards women (e.g.sexual assault and domestic violence).90% of violent crimes are committed by males
-Male crimes against women are related to social inequality and their economic dependency on men
-Considers impact of masculinity and the divide in gender roles.
What are some of the issues of using conflict theory to account for crime?
(29) Which of the following is not one of the 'modes of adaptation' to anomie or strain identified by Merton?
(32) Giddens and Beck proposed that race, gender, and class no longer shape a person's social opportunities or identity in the way they did in the past.
(37) Garland describes how agencies of the state have relied less and less on the idea of risk as a guiding principle of government.
(39) What are the two factors of crucial importance, according to Durkheim, in understanding how people behave?
(38) Which of the following is generally not committed by poorer people?
(35) Merton believed that more crime was committed by white-collar criminals than lower class criminals.
(39) Which of the following was developed in the 1970s, since it was largely ignored in the 1960s?
(35) Which theory is based on the ideal that social institutions work together harmoniously to achieve justice?
(40) The phrase 'the rich get richer and the poor go to prison' is a reflection of which of the following theories?
(27) Who was interested in the way in which the successive waves of immigration were linked to the incidence of crime in US cities?
(31) Compare and contrast consensus and conflict theories of criminal behaviour.
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