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Crime and Deviance - Sociology AQA > Functionalist > Flashcards

Flashcards in Functionalist Deck (13)
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1
Q

functionalist - durkheim

A

crime and deviance is a necessary, beneficial, inevitable feature of society

2
Q

functionalist - functions of crime and deviance

A

strengthens collective values (right/wrong)
enables social change and progress
safety valve - way to express discontent
warning device that society isn’t working properly before social order disrupted

3
Q

functionalist - strain theory

A

merton
deviance arises when individuals don’t have opportunities to approve their goals
feel sense of strain and anomie (normalessness)

4
Q

functionalist - types of strain

A

conformity - non-deviant, non-criminal citizen
innovation - uses crime as alternative to meet goals
ritualism - give up on achieving goals but stick to means
retreatism - drop-outs
rebellion - reject existing social goals, substitute new ones

5
Q

functionalist - limitations of strain theory

A
  • not all people accept/have consensus on goals

- many people who face strain don’t turn to crime

6
Q

functionalist - cohen

A
working-class youth experience status frustration so develop delinquent subculture to achieve status in peer-group
deals with working-class juvenile delinquency
7
Q

functionalist - limitation of cohen

A
not all young working-class delinquents hold the mainstream goals
have independent subcultures
8
Q

functionalist - cloward and ohlin; criminal subcultures

A

adult criminals control aspiring young criminals to commit utilitarian crimes in stable working-class areas

9
Q

functionalist - cloward and ohlin; conflict subcultures

A

socially disorganised areas have a lack of social cohesion

young people express their frustration through violence & street crime

10
Q

functionalist - cloward and ohlin; retreatist subcultures

A

young people that have failed in mainstream society and gang culture
retreat into addiction/alcoholism paid by theft/prostitution

11
Q

functionalist - limitation of cloward and ohlin

A

differences are exaggerates as many features overlap

12
Q

functionalist - miller (focal concerns)

A
central characteristics that target males in a deviant working-class subcultures 
toughness, masculinity, freedom, trouble, search for excitement/thrills 
dominated in young people
conformity -> delinquency
13
Q

functionalist - criticisms

A
  • not everyone has value consensus & committed to mainstream goals
  • only emphasises working-class delinquency & ignores white-collar/corporate
  • based on official statistics (inadequate & unrepresentative)
  • many working-class youth don’t commit crime