Deck 10: Strain Theories

Question 1

Which of the following best characterizes Durkheim's concept of "anomie"?

A) Anomie is solely a characteristic associated with individuals.
B) Anomie is solely a characteristic of 19th-century societies.
C) Anomie exists when a society is characterized by normlessness.
D) Anomie is an established medical condition.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following terms refer to the patterned and relatively stable arrangement of roles and statuses found within societies and social institutions?

A) middle-class measuring rod
B) diffusion of responsibility
C) social structure
D) culturally prescribed aspirations

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to Durkheim,why is it necessary for crime to exist in every society?

A) Crime is needed to define the boundaries of acceptable behaviour.
B) There are always more evil persons than good persons in every society.
C) Rules are made to be broken.
D) The criminal justice industrial complex relies on criminals for its livelihood.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following theorists originally adapted Durkheim's theory of anomie to America to explain the emergence of crime?

A) Merton
B) Merlin
C) Cloward
D) Sutherland

Question 5

According to Durkheim,which of the following is essential to stable societies?

A) heterogeneity
B) increased division of labour
C) social cohesion
D) strong political leadership

Question 6

Which of the following statements about Durkheim's theory of deviance is true?

A) it focuses on crime rates in business communities rather than on crime in general
B) it focuses on youth rather than adults
C) it fits white-collar crime as easily as it fits crimes of the working class
D) it is a theoretically empty concept that is no longer valid

Question 7

Which of the following traits,if enhanced in individuals,could lead to a reduced likelihood of these individuals committing crimes?

A) dominance
B) social status
C) protection of others
D) personal success

Question 8

Which of the following is an assumption underlying the consensus perspective?

A) few people share similar values
B) morality is universal
C) the law represents a diffusion of societal values
D) criminal law reflects the interests of powerful groups that create and enforce laws

Question 9

The concept of anomie is central to the theories of which of these social scientists?

A) Durkheim
B) Kobrin
C) Cloward
D) Weber

Question 10

According to Messner and Rosenfeld,which of the following defines the American Dream?

A) individual achievement
B) material success
C) devoutness
D) wisdom

Question 11

Which of the following characteristics of students did Konty find positively correlated with self-reports of criminal and deviant behaviour?

A) self-transcending values but not self-enhancing values
B) self-enhancing values and self-transcending values
C) self-enhancing values but not self-transcending values
D) neither self-enhancing values nor self-transcending values

Question 12

What is the result when the structural features of a society create an uneven distribution of legitimate opportunities?

A) There will be a high rate of crime.
B) There will be pockets of instrumental crime.
C) Crime will be concentrated in the lower classes.
D) Crime will be concentrated in the upper classes.

Question 13

Which of the following is an example of strain theory?

A) A young adult joins a gang because his brother pressures him to do so.
B) A child steals a package of gum to give to his friend who is sick.
C) A store owner closes her business because sales are slow.
D) A youth sells street drugs to make money to buy the car he wants.

Question 14

For Merton,crime in America is the result of which of the following?

A) the socially structured means for reaching aspirations
B) the gap between culturally prescribed goals and socially structured means for reaching them
C) the overlap between socially prescribed goals and culturally structured means for reaching aspirations
D) the culturally prescribed goals of American society

Question 15

Crime is a symptom of the gap between culturally prescribed aspirations and the socially structured means for realizing them.Which of the following theories is associated with this statement?

A) social disorganization
B) strain
C) moral reasoning
D) social learning

Question 16

According to Merton,crime results when there is a gap between culturally prescribed aspirations and which of the following?

A) the geographic infrastructure to support them
B) the socially structured means of achieving them
C) the ability of individuals to maintain interest in the aspirations
D) the knowledge that the aspirations exist

Question 17

Which of the following is another term for anomie?

A) normalcy
B) normlessness
C) normfulness
D) normalness

Question 18

According to Merton,which of the following best describes the accumulation of money and the status that results from it in America?

A) an illegitimate means
B) a culturally prescribed aspiration
C) a culturally approved means
D) a conventional means

Question 19

According to Durkheim,which of the following is most essential to the well-functioning societies?

A) social solidarity
B) culturally prescribed aspirations
C) diffusion of responsibility
D) capitalism

Question 20

Which term is used inChapter 10 to refer to a condition in which an individual places more value on self-interest than on collective values?

A) relative deprivation
B) individualism
C) micro-anomie
D) anomie

Question 21

According to theories about the nature of the morality curve,what is the best way to reduce crime rates overall?

A) test for psychopathy in universities
B) provide baseline wages to the average workers
C) reduce crime among the privileged
D) reduce income levels of the highest earners

Question 22

According toChapter 10,what is one of the reasons that Japan has a lower rate of corporate crime compared to North America?

A) The Japanese do not use the free market system.
B) The family appears to rank higher on the hierarchy of institutions compared to economics.
C) Corporate crime is an executable offence.
D) There is little strain or anomie in Japanese culture.

Question 23

Strain is more likely to lead to delinquency if certain conditions are present.Which of the following is one of these conditions?

A) The strains are low in magnitude.
B) The strains are unjust.
C) The strains are linked to high perceived social control.
D) The strains lead to unprofitable crimes.

Question 24

Which of the following is a key characteristic of Messner and Rosenfeld's institutional-anomie theory?

A) The American Dream emphasizes monetary success,and the poor are disproportionately susceptible to the draw of wealth they cannot easily achieve.
B) Only those who grow up wealthy are exposed to the ideal of the American Dream and this leads to higher amounts of white-collar crime.
C) The economy is largely misunderstood by those who hold the most power.
D) The splitting of production from finance in large corporations distances shareholders from the daily operation of the company.

Question 25

Which of the following is a significant critique of Merton's strain theory?

A) It can only be applied to crimes committed by the socially marginalized.
B) It can only be applied to North American societies.
C) It helps account for social class differences in crime,but not gender differences.
D) It helps account for gender differences in crime,but not social class differences.

Question 26

According to Cloward and Ohlin,young people who experience barriers are at risk of becoming involved in different types of gangs or subcultures.Which of the following is one of these gangs or subcultures?

A) working
B) consensus
C) passivist
D) retreatist

Question 27

Which of the following do Andrews and Bonta recommend to reduce the strains caused by our coercive criminal justice system?

A) mutual conversion
B) reintegrative shaming
C) disintegrative shaming
D) early parole

Question 28

According to Cloward and Ohlin,what did Merton's theory fail to take into account?

A) cultural perceptions of goals
B) cultural perceptions of means
C) differential legitimate goals
D) differential opportunities

Question 29

According to Messner and Rosenfeld's institutional-anomie theory,which institution dominates all others in America?

A) the family
B) the economy
C) religion
D) education

Question 30

Cloward and Ohlin's theory of illegitimate opportunity structures combined strain theory with which of the following theories?

A) differential association theory
B) social learning theory
C) social control theory
D) labelling theory

Question 31

Braithwaite argues that crime is most likely when exposure to illegitimate opportunities is high and exposure to legitimate opportunities is low.Based on this argument,which of the following initiatives would help to reduce crime in a low-income neighbourhood?

A) job creation for young people
B) an increase in community beautification projects
C) an increase in the number of police officers
D) amalgamating schools

Question 32

Which of the following best represents the main argument behind the opportunity structures perspective on strain and criminal behaviour?

A) People can participate in a given adaptation only if they have access to the means to do so.
B) The opportunity to commit crimes is there for most people.
C) The opportunity to commit crimes is there only for those experiencing strain.
D) Strain and opportunity structures are synonymous.

Question 33

According to Cloward and Ohlin,which of the following adaptations has the fewest barriers to entry for working-class youths?

A) the passivist subculture
B) the criminal subculture
C) the retreatist subculture
D) the conflict subculture

Question 34

According toChapter 10,how do crimes of today's corporate elite compare to those of business owners from the past?

A) unethical behaviour by corporate executives is less common because it is easier to track
B) there were fewer corporate crimes in the past because profits were not worth stealing
C) there are ways to engage in corporate crime today that are more difficult to detect
D) business owners from the past were far more ruthless and successful in their criminal behaviour

Question 35

According toChapter 10,how is corporate crime in North America addressed?

A) people in positions of power are not punished in the same way as others
B) most offenders receive lengthy prison sentences in Canada
C) there are no cases available to study as of yet
D) enforcement is sporadic given the lack of clear laws to follow

Question 36

Which of the following best summarizes the findings of Braithwaite with regard to social class and crime?

A) Crime is more prevalent in upper-class neighbourhoods.
B) Cities with segregated class neighbourhoods had lower crime rates.
C) Greater class mix in neighbourhoods results in less crime.
D) Type of neighbourhood class mix had no impact on crime rates.

Question 37

Which of the following contradicts the "code of the street"?

A) You must let others know you are willing to negotiate.
B) You must show nerve.
C) You must respond to aggression with aggression.
D) You must let others know how tough you are.

Question 38

According toChapter 10,strain theory complements which of the following other theories of crime?

A) social learning theory and group conflict theory
B) group conflict theory and control theory
C) differential association theory and social learning theory
D) control theory and differential association theory

Question 39

For Messner and Rosenfeld,which of the following is not only intrinsic to the American Dream,but also a principal reason behind crime in that country?

A) easily accessible fame and notoriety
B) individual achievement
C) equal opportunity for all,regardless of status
D) weak restraints on the means to achieve material success

Question 40

How does strain theory explain different crime rates between men and women?

A) it says that women commit fewer crimes because they do not strive for the same goals as men
B) it states that men commit more crimes because their lives are much more difficult
C) it fails to explain the differences between the crime rates of men and women
D) it suggests that women commit fewer crimes because they reach their goals more easily

Question 41

Formal punishment is the ideal answer for addressing all types of crime,particularly crimes of the powerful.

Question 42

The values most predominant in a country with regard to material wealth appear to impact crime rates.

Question 43

According to Durkheim,when social cohesion breaks down and social isolation is great,society loses its traditional social control mechanisms and eventually suffers from a high rate of crime.

Question 44

Durkheim argued that anomie exists when societies are functioning in accordance with shared norms.

Question 45

Strain theory explains street crime and upper-class crime in the same way in that both involve a gap between goals and means.

Question 46

Since there are already weak restraints on the means to achieve monetary success,the inability of watchdog agencies and our justice system to respond effectively increases the likelihood of white-collar crime.

Question 47

Based upon Hackler's depiction of a morality curve,the textbook suggests that we must overlook frequent acts of unethical behaviour in commercial activities and instead focus on serious crimes.

Question 48

The gap between goals and the means to achieve these goals is constant across all portions of North American society.

Question 49

Strain theory explains crime as a result of individuals reacting in the heat of the moment to events that they feel go against mainstream cultural goals.

Question 50

Messner and Rosenfeld's theory of institutional anomie argues that the "American Dream" encourages crime as a method of achieving culturally approved goals.

Question 51

Cloward's contribution to strain theory was to recognize that the leap from strain to deviance was contingent upon the opportunities available to the individual.

Question 52

According to the consensus perspective,the vast majority of a society's population shares similar values regarding right and wrong.

Question 53

According toChapter 10,strain is more likely to lead to delinquency if the strain is perceived as unjust by the individual.

Question 54

Anderson's "code of the street" highlights how the opportunity structure on Wall Street contributes to corporate crime.

Question 55

Merton's strain theory is helpful for explaining the lower crime rates of women.

Question 56

Agnew argues that strain is more a feature of individuals than societies or social groups.

Question 57

According to Braithwaite,crime is unlikely either when legitimate opportunities are high or when illegitimate opportunities are low.

Question 58

According to Durkheim,crime is an abnormal feature of society since it takes away from the maintenance of stability.

Question 59

Values impact likelihood of engaging in criminal behaviour more significantly than race and social class.

Question 60

Merton argues that crime is a symptom of the gap between culturally prescribed aspirations and the socially structured means for realizing those aspirations.

Question 61

According to Braithwaite,belonging to the lower class has more effect on delinquency for youth in lower-class areas than for youth in middle-class areas.