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Sociology – Crime & Deviance > Functionalism > Flashcards

Flashcards in Functionalism Deck (4)
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1
Q

Hirschi: why don’t people commit crime?

A

Attachment: the extent to which one cares about others’ opinions

Commitment: the one with the the least to lose is the most likely to turn to crime

Involvement: preoccupied people have less time to commit crime

Belief: the extent of one’s conviction to obey the rules

Eval: Involvement does not necessarily explain white collar crime. If one is working in a particular environment at their job, it may be BECAUSE of their involvement that they commit crime, not in spite of it.

2
Q

Durkheim

A

Crime is functional.

Reaffirming values.
Changing values.
Social cohesion.
Safety valve.

Eval:

  • why do individuals commit crime? Why some more than others?
  • assumes laws are norms and values of public, yet law makers are homogenous
  • Tautology - if society is designed to maintain a collective conscience, how can it also drive change?
3
Q

Merton (consensus theorist, not a functionalist)

A

Supports Durkheim’s belief that there are shared values in society (so often put with Functionalism)

Conformist, ritualist, retreatist, innovator, rebel

Believes there are differences between goals and means

4
Q

Kingsley Davis (1961)

A

Useful functions of prostitution: economic support for unskilled women and a safety valve for men needing sexual variety, without wanting to wreck their marriages

Eval: supports Durkheim’s theory of safety valve