Deck 6: Sociological Theories of Crime and Delinquency

Question 1

According to this theory, the breakdown of social bonds and the failure of social institutions cause crime.

A) anomie
B) strain
C) social disorganization
D) neutralization

Answer 1

C

Question 2

This is C. Wright Mills's idea that we must look beyond our personal experiences to the experiences of others in order to evaluate how social location influences how individuals perceive society.

A) anomie
B) sociological imagination
C) strain
D) focal concerns

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which type of theory is best suited to interventions that can change the way society responds to crime?

A) sociological theories
B) biological theories
C) psychological theories
D) political theories

Answer 3

A

Question 4

One interesting feature of sociological theories is that many of them were developed to explain this rather than crime.

A) poverty
B) violence
C) white-collar crime
D) juvenile delinquency

Question 5

Anthropologist Oscar Lewis argued that the effects of this are passed down from one generation to the next.

A) crime
B) poverty
C) social disorganization
D) all of the above

Question 6

Who developed concentric zone theory?

A) Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay
B) Francis Cullen and Robert Agnew
C) Robert Sampson
D) Edwin Sutherland

Question 7

University of Chicago sociologists noted that this particular zone had high rates of crime, alcoholism, and other social problems.

A) downtown
B) transitional
C) suburban
D) outer

Question 8

Which is most consistent with concentric zone theory?

A) The crime rate in outer zone is influenced by the racial or ethnic group residing there.
B) The prevalence of crime is directly related to a zone's affluence and distance from the central business district.
C) The nature of the neighborhood, not the nature of the individuals within the neighborhood, regulates involvement in crime.
D) as ethnic groups move away from the transitional zones, their crime rates remain stable.

Question 9

The Chicago Area Project was an application of this theory to public policy.

A) concentric zone
B) differential association
C) focal concern
D) general strain

Question 10

Which of the following was not a strategy developed by the Chicago Area Project?

A) inclusive involvement
B) curbstone counseling
C) individual participation
D) law enforcement exclusion

Question 11

This refers to the amount of informal social control and social cohesion in a community.

A) collective efficacy
B) anomie
C) focal concern
D) containment

Question 12

Collective efficacy theory is a(n) _______ theory because it views the community as a collection of individuals who can change their environment.

A) static
B) dynamic
C) anomic
D) general

Question 13

Learning theories of crime focus on where and how adult offenders and delinquents find the tools, techniques, and expertise to break the law.

A) critical theories
B) social disorganization theories
C) strain theories
D) learning theories

Question 14

Who first proposed differential association?

A) Edwin Sutherland
B) Travis Hirschi
C) Walter Miller
D) Robert Merton

Question 15

According to differential association theory, this refers to the concept that juveniles exposed early in life to family members who break the law will be more likely to adopt antisocial attitudes and learn how to break the law.

A) priority
B) frequency
C) intensity
D) duration

Question 16

According to this factor of differential association theory, the longer a youth is a member of a delinquent gang, the more likely that juvenile will adopt the gang's views and behaviors towards crime.

A) priority
B) frequency
C) intensity
D) duration

Question 17

This theory extends differential association theory by including operant conditioning.

A) neutralization
B) focal concerns
C) strain
D) social learning

Question 18

This neutralization technique allows offenders to blame outside forces for their inappropriate behavior.

A) denial of victim
B) condemnation of condemners
C) denial of injury
D) denial of responsibility

Question 19

A driver who claims that she was given a speeding ticket so that the police could meet their daily quota of speeders is using which technique of neutralization?

A) denial of injury
B) denial of responsibility
C) condemnation of condemners
D) denial of victim

Question 20

Which of the following is not one of Miller's six focal concerns?

A) trouble
B) fate
C) autonomy
D) endurance

Question 21

A juvenile delinquent who steals what he wants so he does not have to depend on his parents is following which focal concern?

A) smartness
B) autonomy
C) trouble
D) excitement

Question 22

To counter the negative influences of the subculture of violence, it is necessary to do this.

A) focus on one youth at a time
B) give gang members a new direction on which to focus
C) assimilate the entire subculture into the dominant culture
D) assimilate only the leaders of the subculture into the dominant culture

Question 23

The subculture of violence holds this as part of its values, lifestyle, and socialization.

A) focal concerns
B) violence
C) the code of the street
D) a quiet lifestyle

Question 24

Anderson contends that urban violence is prompted by _____ that requires people to quickly resort to violence when they feel they are not being respected.

A) a desire for excitement
B) strain
C) an uncontrollable urge
D) a code of the street

Question 25

This is a condition experienced by societies undergoing rapid social change.

A) structural anomie
B) strain
C) individual anomie
D) containment

Question 26

Which of Merton's adaptations describes most people?

A) rebellion
B) ritualism
C) innovation
D) conformity

Question 27

An individual who desires wealth and chooses to commit armed robbery to obtain it has adopted which of Merton's adaptations?

A) rebellion
B) retreatism
C) innovation
D) conformity

Question 28

Which best describes an individual who falls into the ritualism category of Merton's adaptations?

A) accepts both the culturally accepted goals and means.
B) accepts culturally accepted goals but reject culturally approved means.
C) rejects culturally accepted goals but accept culturally approved means.
D) rejects both the culturally accepted goals and means.

Question 29

Which of the following is not a limitation of Albert Cohen's theory?

A) It applies only to urban male delinquents.
B) Delinquents may not be as opposed to conventional values as Cohen argues.
C) The theory only proposes one type of adaptation.
D) It suggests that members of juvenile gangs suffer strain because they are blocked from obtaining middle class status.

Question 30

Which of the following statements is characteristic of general strain theory but not classical strain theory?

A) Crime occurs when means are systematically blocked by things such as poverty and racism.
B) Americans are primarily influenced by the capitalist dream of financial success.
C) The developer of the theory did not conduct empirical tests of his ideas.
D) Americans strive for cultural goals beyond that of money.

Question 31

For delinquents to thrive, they must learn illegitimate ways of adapting to strain. One of these ways is to adopt the criminal lifestyle. Which theory is best connected to this idea?

A) strain theory
B) differential opportunity theory
C) conflict theory
D) neutralization theory

Question 32

These theories focus on the question of why everyone does not break the law.

A) strain
B) control
C) anomie
D) neutralization

Question 33

Who developed containment theory?

A) Travis Hirschi
B) Robert Agnew
C) Walter Reckless
D) John Hagan

Question 34

Which of the following is an internal element of containment theory?

A) roles that guide individual activities
B) opportunities for status achievement
C) cohesion among group members
D) a positive self-concept

Question 35

According to Reckless, this insulates juveniles from the negative effects of a bad neighborhood and delinquent peers.

A) a healthy self-concept
B) membership in a strong gang
C) exposure to definitions favorable to observing the law
D) a patriarchal family structure

Question 36

Which of the following is not an element of Hirschi's social bond theory?

A) attachment
B) commitment
C) internalization
D) belief

Question 37

Giving youths a stake in society strengthens which element of Hirschi's social bond?

A) attachment
B) commitment
C) belief
D) involvement

Question 38

Who developed power-control theory?

A) John Hagan
B) Travis Hirschi
C) Albert Cohen
D) Robert Merton

Question 39

List and define Merton's five adaptations that individuals use to deal with their inability to achieve their goals through culturally approved means.

Question 40

Explain how strain theories have developed over time. Outline the main proponents of each strain theory and show how the concept has evolved.

Question 41

List and explain the four elements of Hirschi's social bond. Identify two possible policy implications of this theory.

Question 42

Define anomie and distinguish between structural and individual anomie. Why is anomie an important concept in strain theories? Explain how institutional anomie occurs and discuss Rosenfeld and Messner's view of the American Dream and how it undermines our quality of life.

Question 43

Describe Hagan's power-control theory and its view of the family structure. How does this theory explain why males break the law more often are more involved in delinquency than females?