Deck 13: Integrated and General Theories

Question 1

The integrative tradition in criminology:

A) has a long history dating back to the 19th century.
B) made great use of biological and psychological explanations but neglected sociology.
C) has received a great deal of criticism despite appearing to be a logical step in theory development.
D) emerged during the 1980s and 1990s, a time when criminological theories were developing very rapidly.
E) all of the above.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Integrated theories:

A) assume that people are naturally selfish and serve to maximize their own pleasure.
B) very rarely incorporate learning elements.
C) are essentially conflict theories of criminal behavior.
D) often ignore earlier theories such as strain, control, and differential association theories.
E) embrace soft determinism or the notion that that humans both shape and are shaped by their environment.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of conceptual integration?

A) Colvin and colleagues' social support and coercion theory
B) Elliot and associates' strain-control paradigm
C) Agnew's general strain theory
D) Braithwaite's reintegrative shaming theory
E) Hagan's power control theory

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Propositional integration:

A) consists of four different types of integrative activity: end-to-end, side-by-side, up-and-down, and cross-level integration.
B) only relies on variables from one perspective.
C) can be seen in Burgess and Akers's social learning theory and Elliot and associates' strain-control paradigm.
D) unites individual difference, process-oriented, and structural theories into one coherent formulation.
E) all of the above.

Question 5

Which of the following is false with regard to Braithwaite's reintegrative shaming theory?

A) It says communist societies have higher levels of crime than capitalist societies.
B) It draws on labeling, control, subcultural, and social learning theories.
C) It suggests that disintegrative shaming is beneficial because it allows law enforcement to keep track of offenders.
D) It is a clear example of conceptual integration.
E) It argues that reintegrative shaming creates a society of outcasts and strengthens the criminal subcultures.

Question 6

Tittle's control balance theory:

A) suggests that control varies not only between individuals but also from situation to situation.
B) claims that a control surplus creates repressive deviance.
C) fails to account for opportunity-related variables.
D) suggests that bizarre crimes can result when an individual has a control surplus.
E) all of the above.

Question 7

Which of the following is true with respect to Agnew's general strain theory?

A) It suggests that societies with low levels of communitarianism and interdependency will stigmatize eroding their bond to wider society and that this will reduce their opportunities for legitimate success in society.
B) It claims that the class structure of society plays an important role in explaining the variations in offending between males and females.
C) It focuses on how negative relationships pressure people into crime.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 8

Integrated and general theories suggest that:

A) social support is important to preventing and reducing crime.
B) the best way to control crime is through the manipulation of the physical environment.
C) rehabilitation and treatment will be ineffective without proper punishment.
D) informal social control can be raised by increased police visibility.
E) the most effective anticrime measures focus on reforming chronic offenders.

Question 9

Many integrated theories are also intended to be general theories of criminal behavior.

Question 10

One major criticism of some integrated theories is that they attempt to combine conflicting assumptions.

Question 11

According to Braithwaite's reintegrative shaming theory, stigmatization results in a breakdown of informal social control and lack of legitimate opportunities, making criminal subcultures more attractive to offenders.

Question 12

Robert Agnew's general strain theory was intended to be an extension of Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory.

Question 13

The integrated general theory offered by Agnew incorporates ideas from individual difference, process, and structural theories.

Question 14

Research on reintegrative shaming indicates that white-collar crime can be reduced through a combination of severe punishment and increased accountability.

Question 15

Integration is widely accepted in criminology, and this approach has very few critics.

Question 16

Research on general strain theory has unequivocally supported the idea that negative emotions lead to crime and that the process of becoming a criminal is contingent on low levels of social support and exposure to criminal peers.

Question 17

What assumptions do integrated theories make?

Question 18

List the three types of integration and how these integrative efforts operate.

Question 19

Pick four integrated theories. How do these theories build on past theories and research?

Question 20

Why has the complexity of integration led to critiques? What critique do you think is the most important for integration theorists to consider?

Question 21

What are some of the practical approaches and programs suggested by integrated theories?