Deck 4: Social Structural Theories

Question 1

A particular student wants to do well in school,but never seems to be able to earn higher than a "D." In pursuit of academic success,the student begins to cheat on exams.This is most consistent with which form of adaptation in Merton's theory of strain?

A) Conformity
B) Innovation
C) Rebellion
D) Retreatism

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to Cloward and Ohlin,individuals who are born into an established and organized delinquent subculture join_____ gangs.

A) Conflict
B) Criminal
C) Organized
D) Retreatist

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which term did Emile Durkheim coin to refer to normlessness,or a lack of rules,within society?

A) Anomie
B) Proletariat
C) Rebellion
D) Strain

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Within Walter Miller's framework of focal concerns,_____ refers to the belief that the locus of control is external to oneself.

A) Autonomy
B) Excitement
C) Fate
D) Toughness

Question 5

Even though Johnny realizes that he will never reach the economic and occupational success of which he once dreamed,he continues to go to work each day and diligently complete the tasks assigned to him.This is most consistent with which form of adaptation in Merton's theory of anomie/strain?

A) Conformity
B) Innovation
C) Retreatism
D) Ritualism

Question 6

According to Cohen,difficulty adjusting to middle-class measuring rods can lead to:

A) Status Frustration
B) Focal Concerns
C) Short-Run Hedonism
D) Modes of Adaptation

Question 7

Identify the theorist(s)known for suggesting that crime is a normal and inevitable social phenomenon.

A) Shaw and McKay
B) Durkheim
C) Merton
D) Cloward and Ohlin

Question 8

According to the tenets of institutional anomie theory,which of the following would be a useful policy goal?

A) Address negative emotions through coping strategies.
B) Increase collective efficacy at the neighborhood level.
C) Increase legitimate economic opportunities in society.
D) Reduce the role of economic factors in other social institutions such as the family.

Question 9

Walter Miller's theory of focal concerns was based on the premise that:

A) Access to illegitimate opportunities varies along with access to legitimate opportunities.
B) American culture is inherently criminogenic due to the value placed on economic success.
C) Lower-class individuals form counter-cultural beliefs in reaction to their status deprivation.
D) Lower-class values must be viewed on their own terms, not as negations of the middle class.

Question 10

_____ exists in small,isolated,and self-sufficient pre-state societies in which individuals share common values and develops strong emotional ties to the collectivity.

A) Organic solidarity
B) Mechanical solidarity
C) Natural solidarity
D) Communal solidarity

Question 11

According to Messner and Rosenfeld,what is the answer to the high crime rate in the United States?

A) Anomie
B) Capitalism
C) Decommofication
D) Institutionalization

Question 12

_____ refers to the breakdown of the power of informal community rules to regulate conduct.

A) Social conflict
B) Social disorganization
C) Social turmoil
D) Social ecology

Question 13

Which of the following theorists is credited with strain theory,which argued that strain results from a disjunction between goals and the legitimate means of attaining them?

A) Henry McKay
B) Robert Agnew
C) Robert Merton
D) Steven Messner

Question 14

Walter Miller suggested that _____ is/are part of a value system and lifestyle that has emerged from the realities of life on the bottom rung of society.

A) Status Frustration
B) Focal Concerns
C) Short-Run Hedonism
D) Modes of Adaptation

Question 15

_____ is characteristic of modern societies in which there is a high degree of occupational specialization.

A) Organic solidarity
B) Mechanic solidarity
C) Natural solidarity
D) Communal solidarity

Question 16

According to Cohen,the real problem to overcome is _____,not blocked opportunity.

A) Mechanical solidarity
B) Social disorganization
C) Social inequalities
D) Status frustration

Question 17

Identify the theorist(s)known for positing that just as there are barriers to achieving legitimate success,there are also barriers to achieving illegitimate success.

A) Shaw and McKay
B) Durkheim
C) Merton
D) Cloward and Ohlin

Question 18

With which theory is Robert Agnew associated?

A) Strain Theory
B) General Strain Theory
C) Social Disorganization Theory
D) Institutional Strain Theory

Question 19

Building on the work of Shaw and McKay,Robert Sampson has suggested that _____ is effective at reducing crime.

A) Providing coping strategies
B) Increasing collective efficacy
C) Increasing economic opportunities
D) Decommodification

Question 20

The first criminological theory to be developed in the United States was the human ecology theory,which came out of what was known as the _____ school.

A) Chicago
B) Las Vegas
C) New York
D) San Francisco

Question 21

Structural theorists are interested in seeking the social causes of crime rates,rather than why particular individuals commit crime.

Question 22

According to Agnew,we all experience multiple strains throughout our lives,but the impact of strain differs according to its magnitude,recency,duration,and clustering.

Question 23

Shaw and McKay noted that the majority of delinquents always came from the same neighborhood regardless of the ethnic composition of those neighborhoods.

Question 24

Shaw and McKay's social disorganization theory is part of which theoretical tradition?

A) Human Ecology
B) Life Course
C) Social Process
D) Subculture

Question 25

Which of the following is a gang function for many of its members?

A) Family
B) Protective Agency
C) Educational institution
D) All of the above

Question 26

According to Cohen,lower-class youth desire approval and status,but because they cannot meet middle-class criteria,they become frustrated.

Question 27

Durkheim argued that crime is normal,inevitable,and socially useful.

Question 28

A high school student steals money from a classmate's locker.How would institutional anomie theory account for this crime?

A) The offender must have come from a community that lacked informal social controls.
B) The offender engaged in innovation to reach a legitimate goal through illegitimate means.
C) The offender was influenced by America's strong cultural emphasis on economic success.
D) The offender did not have coping mechanisms in place to adequately deal with their negative emotions.

Question 29

According to strain theory,individuals who accept traditional goals,but reject the accepted means of achieving them,are known as rebels.

Question 30

The first criminological tradition to be developed in the United States was the Chicago school of human ecology.

Question 31

According to Robert Agnew,strain results from negative emotions that arise from negative relationships with others and may lead to crime.

Question 32

Which mode of adaptation is characterized by the rejection of legitimate cultural goals and the institutionalized means of attaining them?

A) Conformity
B) Innovation
C) Retreatism
D) Ritualism

Question 33

One of the strengths of anomie/strain theory is its ability to explain violent crimes.

Question 34

The concept of negative emotions is central to which theory?

A) Differential opportunity theory
B) Focal concerns theory
C) General strain theory
D) Institutional anomie theory

Question 35

Mechanical solidarity is characterized by high degrees of occupational specialization,and a diversity of experiences and circumstances.

Question 36

Merton's strain theory posits that gang behavior can be attributed to six focal concerns that are part of a lower-class value system.

Question 37

The main argument of "opportunity structure theory" is that crime is inherent to the values of American culture.

Question 38

According to strain theory,individuals who reject traditional goals but continue to work within legitimate bounds are identified as ritualists.

Question 39

How would a social disorganization theorist explain the crime of bank robbery?

A) The offender must have come from a community that lacked informal social controls.
B) The offender engaged in innovation to reach a legitimate goal through illegitimate means.
C) The offender was influenced by America's strong cultural emphasis on economic success.
D) The offender did not have coping mechanisms in place to adequately deal with their negative emotions.

Question 40

According to Messner and Rosenfeld,high crime rates are intrinsic to American culture.

Question 41

Identify three of the lower-class focal concerns proposed by Walter Miller.

Question 42

According to Robert Merton's theory,what causes strain?

Question 43

Describe the central argument of institutional anomie theory.

Question 44

What is "collective efficacy"?

Question 45

Identify and describe two modes of adaptation from Merton's strain theory.

Question 46

Shaw and McKay are known for identifying six focal concerns as the source of crime in lower class communities.

Question 47

Identify and explain each of Merton's five modes of adaptation.Provide an example of each.

Question 48

Compare and contrast Merton's strain theory to Agnew's general strain theory.How are the two alike? How are they different?

Question 49

Explain social disorganization theory,and identify its strengths,weaknesses,and policy implications.

Question 50

What is "social disorganization"?

Question 51

Compare and contrast Albert Cohen's subcultural theory to Walter Miller's theory of focal concerns.How are the two alike? How are they different?

Question 52

Explain institutional anomie theory.Do you think that this theory provides a viable explanation of crime? Support your answer with what you have learned in this class.
Page range of relevant material: 109-110

Question 53

Briefly explain the distinction between "mechanical solidarity" and "organic solidarity."