Describe and Assess Functionalist Approaches to Crime
Functionalist approaches to crime begins with Durkheim who argued that crime is functional because it can bring a society together and therefore social change, and one example of this is with the civil rights movement and martin luther king, where it was a crime to sit on a certain place on a bus. Evidence for this is the Civil rights movement and led to massive social change and change in the law for black people. He also seen it as inevitable because there will always be people who disagree with the social structure of that society, who won’t share the same norms and values as with society. Durkheim also seen crime as normal because it happens across every society and is therefore normal, which doesn’t mean individual crimes are normal, just the occurrence of all crime. This therefore means that Durkheim sees punishment not as something to hurt the wrongdoer but is there to reaffirm society’s cultural norms and values. Which can explain why things like homosexuality are punished in other society’s while not in more western society’s. Merton agrees with Durkheim in his strain theory in which he says people learn behaviour from socialisation and we achieve success (American/British dream) by trying to follow to cultural norms and the institutionalised means. When people realise they can’t achieve material success, they either rebel, innovate or withdraw, which all
Evaluate functionalist theories of crime and deviance
Transfer-Encoding: chunked Evaluate Functionalists ideas of Crime and Deviance (45) Crime refers to any act which goes against the written rules, laws, of society. It results in a formal negative sanction. For example, speeding will result in a punishment such as a fine. However, deviance refers to an act which goes against the unwritten rules, norms and values, of society. It results in an informal negative sanction. For example, someone with their whole body covered in tattoos may receive odd looks because of their image. Functionalists view society as a collective consensus, they argue that within a culture we all share the same norms and values. They see crime as inevitable, as a healthy part of society that will occur regardless. Durkheim was a famous French sociologist. He saw society as a collective consensus, and humans as ‘homo duplex’, arguing that people have both a social side and an individual side. The individual side emerges when social bonds are weak, resulting in the person committing an act of deviance or crime. Durkheim also came up with the term anomie, a sense of normlessness within society. This is when there is a disagreement on the norms and values. He also argued that crime is inevitable, and it would happen within society regardless. Durkheim also argued that crime was on one hand necessary and functional for society, but then went on to
Outline and assess the structionalist themes of crime and deviance Structural theories of deviance are similar to Merton's theory. They
Outline and assess the structionalist themes of crime and deviance Structural theories of deviance are similar to Merton's theory. They explain the origins of deviance in terms of the position of individuals or groups in the social structure. In the 1930's Robert k Merton wrote an article entitled Social Structure and Anomie. It became one of the most influential explanations of crime and deviance. He offered a social rather than psychological or biological explanation. In particular, it was a structionalist theory as it saw the structure of society shaping peoples behaviour. According to Merton, American culture attaches great importance to success - and success is measured in terms of money and material possessions. There are norms which define legitimate means for achieving success. These legitimate means include gaining skills and qualifications and career advancement. The American dream states that anybody can make it to the top if they try hard enough. So much emphasis is placed on material success that many people experience pressure to deviate from accepted norms and values. Deviance occurs when they reject the goals of success and/or the legitimate means of reaching that goal. For example, some people are tempted to use nay means of getting to the top-even if that involves criminal behaviour. Merton refers to this pressure as a 'strain to anomie'. Anomie means
Examine the key debates surrounding the relationship between crime and inequality
Examine the key debates surrounding the relationship between crime and inequality Inequality is a topic which can polarise opinion. Karl Marx (Marx & Engels, 2005) asserted that the history of society is based on class struggles and that the state should strive to create an equal society. Whereas people such as Robert Nozick (1974) have argued that the state should have minimal interference in people's lives and that equality should not be an aim. Within modern society there exist many different forms of inequality, some of which can be suggested as being linked with crime. Examples can include economic inequality, related to unemployment and income, racial and gender based inequality and social inequality which can be related to education, housing and healthcare. Within this essay I will examine some of the different sources of inequality, whether they can be linked with crime and, if so, I will also try to explain why they are linked with crime. Unemployment is often one of the first sources of inequality to be linked with crime which may be because people assume those who are unable to get a job will instantly turn to crime to try and make ends meet. In 2002, the Social Exclusion Unit released a report (p. 22) which stated that 67% of the UK prison population had been unemployed in the four weeks before their imprisonment, compared with just 5% of the general population.
Gender differnces in Crime
Outline and assess sociological explanations of genders differences in patterns of crime Official statistics show that when it comes to crime statistics, males clearly overshadow any crime committed by females. According to the Home Office in 1997, of people aged 20 years old in the population, fewer than 2% of females were found guilty of an offence compared with 9% of males. This would suggest that somehow statistics often ignore female offenders to a certain degree. However to add to this problem even self-report studies and victimisation studies, which are designed to mask the problems with official statistics, show a discernible division in the genders. This can suggest that perhaps it is not just a lack of acceptance of female crime but a difference in the gender constructs. All this has led to sociologists somewhat ignoring females in crime analysis, assuming it is a male phenomenon Social, biological, economic, and psychological explanations have been used to develop theories to explain why women commit crime, as well as why they commit less crime than men. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, theories of human behaviour tended to be deterministic. Major sociological explanations of crime (differential association, anomie, social disorganization) were emphasizing social and cultural factors that could account for female as well as male criminality. Some
Evaluate the functionalist approach to understanding crime in society.
EVALUATE THE FUNCTIONALIST APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING CRIME IN SOCIETY Functionalism is the sociological theory of how or why society functions and how it remains in a state of stability. Theoretically it tries to explain the role all people within society have, from children to criminals, in order to maintain stability. It is a control theory where boundaries are set for people to adhere. The point at which a crime is commited or a boundery is crossed would be determined by the culture of each individual society. In different countries there would have to be variations of these bounderies, this would be inevitable because of the different culture within each society. For a functionalist society to work several key aspects have to be in place. Society as a whole must agree to the way society is structured and ordered, this is known as a 'structural consensus' theory. Functionalism is a 'macro' theory. In general it attempts to understand society as whole using large systems. Functionalists view society like the human body. This could be called a 'body of society' or 'organic analogy'. For the 'body of society' to function all of the internal organs or social structures must work effectively and efficiently. These social structures are law and order, parliament and government, religion, the economy and employment, family, mass media, and education. Functionalist believe that
Assess the usefulness of sub cultural theories in understanding crime and deviance
Assess the usefulness of sub cultural theories in understanding crime and deviance I am going to be assessing the usefulness of sub cultural theories in understanding crime and deviance. The functionalist suggested that understanding deviance lies in the studying it function for society rather than the individual itself. Also consensus is essential for society to function. All functionalist therefore argues that forms of social control are necessary to check deviant and to maintain social order. Merton theory of anomie is based on the ideas of the functionalist. Anomie encourages deviance. Merton understood crime and deviance to be a response to the inability to achieve social goals. This is often referred to as a strain theory of crime, since Merton highlighted a tension or strains between the cultural goals of a society and the legitimate or institutionalised means of achieving these goals. Merton work can be seen to be the influence by the American dream provided that you work hard in a good job, money a good house and a luxurious lifestyle can be yours. However he said that when the values or culture goals are internalised, many people don't live up to it or achieve it. Merton presents five modes of adapting to strain caused by the restricted access to socially approved goals and means. He did not mean that everyone who was denied access to society's goals became
Assess the view that crime is functional, inevitable and normal
Assess the view that crime is functional, inevitable and normal (33 marks) Within the sociological perspectives of crime and deviance, there is one particular approach which argues that crime is functional, inevitable and normal. This sociological perspective, Functionalism, consists of Emile Durkheim's work on crime and deviance. His main argument was that 'crime is normal' and that it is 'an integral part of all healthy societies.' This perspective views crime and deviance as an inevitable feature of all societies which is universal. However, Durkheim did argue that too much crime can lead to the destabilisation of society. Durkheim identified three positive aspects of crime which make it a functional component of society. He done this through magnifying the positive impacts it can have on social cohesion which refers to the invisible bonds which bring people together within a society. There were three main positive aspects which he accentuated as they made crime and deviance functional. These were 'reaffirming the boundaries,' 'changing values' and 'social cohesion.' The first, reaffirming the boundaries, refers to situations where crime has already occurred. When the criminal is taken to court, the public outcry which follows verifies the boundaries. This can be seen particularly in countries such as Saudi Arabia, where public hangings and executions take place. The
Expound Durkheim's theory of anomie, bringing out the acute and chronic types. Evaluate Durkheim's view that the main source of the malaise of modern society lies in this phenomenon. How could it be minimised?
Sociological Thinking SLSP1020 Student I.D. - 200194793 Essay 6. - Expound Durkheim's theory of anomie, bringing out the acute and chronic types. Evaluate Durkheim's view that the main source of the malaise of modern society lies in this phenomenon. How could it be minimised? Along with Marx and Weber, Durkheim outlined the characteristics of the transition of society to modernity and what was problematic with this shift. This essay will explain Durkheim's ideas on this transition, concentrating on the division of labour and social cohesion. I will explain how this path to modernity may lead to a state of anomie and outline the difference between acute and chronic forms of anomie. Finally, I will look at whether or not the general sense of depression (or 'malaise') of modern society is due to anomie and discuss how anomie could be minimised. In understanding the transition to modernity, Durkheim, like Marx, took a holistic approach and argued that society cannot be reduced to individuals...'society' was, Durkheim argued, a phenomenon in its own right. It did not depend upon the intentions and motivations of individuals for it's continued existence. In his aim to establish sociological autonomy, to establish Sociology as a discipline sui generis, Durkheim sees society as more than just the individuals who constitute that society, believing in the ability to explain
Discuss the theory of criminology and focus on good impact of crime in our society.
This essay is aimed to explain and discuss the theory of criminology and focus on good impact of crime in our society. The theme of normality of crime in our society goes with the believe of some of the Authors especially Durkheim.E which focus more on Anomie. This mean that rules on how people ought to behave with each other were breaking down and thus people did not know What to expect from others. Expectations on behaviours are confused and unclear to there believes in society which becomes crimes against each others, thus they act on their own believe and ascertain crime to be there day to day activities. Crime is normal because a society exempt from it is utterly impossible. A society in which criminal acts are no longer committed, the sentiment to offend would have to be found without exception in all individual consciousness, and they must be found to exist with the same degree as sentiments apply to them. For the collective sentiments, in which they are protected by the penal law of the people of a specified moment, of it history to take possession for the public to acquire a stronger hold where that have insufficient grip. On sociology at Hewett website (Durkheim Anomie) Durkheim felt that sudden change causes a state of Anomie, the system break down, either during a great prosperity or great depression, anomie is the same result. On this Website Durkheim let us
