Review for Exam #2, Spring 2008
Theories
A. Functionalism
(Durkheim, Merton, Parsons)
1. What social
structural/cultural factors led to functionalism's creation
2.
How does functionalism view the nature of deviance and criminality? how is it
caused?
a. What does it
mean to say deviance is functional? how is it functional?
3.
How does or can society deal with deviance and crime? (we discussed four
mechanisms)
4. What are the strengths and
weaknesses of functionalism?
B. Anomie (Durkheim, Merton, Cloward
and Ohlin)
1.
What was the social and cultural context in which anomie theory was originally
created?
2. What is the cause of
deviance and crime for Durkheim? for Merton?
a.
How does Merton’s view of anomie
differ from Durkheim’s?
b.
What are Merton’s “individual
adaptations to anomie?”
c.
How are these ideas related to
Cloward and Ohlin’s work on deviant subcultures?
3. How can anomie theory be
applied to deal with crime and deviance?
4. What are its strengths and
weaknesses?
C. Learning Theories (Sutherland,
Burgess and Akers, Sykes and Matza)
1.
How does learning theory fit in relation to the other three perspectives? What
does it try to add?
2.
How is deviance and criminality understood in learning theory? What causes
deviance? What are deviants like?
3.
What do Burgess and Akers and Sykes and Matza add to learning theory?
4.
How can deviance and criminality be controlled? (specific examples of social
control policies and practices?)
5. What are the strengths and
weaknesses of learning theories?
D. Labeling (Societal
Reaction) (also sometimes called Constructionism)
1. central premises: where does
deviance come from?
a. the relativity
of deviance & the problems with objectivist or naturalistic view of deviance
b. social control creates deviance
2.
some key concepts: what are they? what do they mean?
a. Primary and Secondary Deviance
b. master status
c. stigma
E. Becoming
deviant
1.
how do people from good backgrounds go bad?
a. ie, how does labeling offer an answer to this?
2.
effective environment, biography, affinity, willingness
3.
techniques of neutralization
4.
experience and the (deviants') reevaluation of deviance
Reminder: You
will -- as on the last exam -- be asked about how each theory conceptualizes
and theorizes the nature of deviance and criminality; the larger context
in which the different theories emerged; the implications of each theory for
social control; and, the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. This will
require you to know, among other things, the theorists and major theories
associated with each perspective. Thus, you will need to know, for example,
that learning theories began with Differential Association, as conceived by
Edwin Sutherland; you will also need to know what learning theory says
about deviance & criminality, etc.
For
Functionalism:
In
Jacoby: Durkheim, pp. 119-123
For Anomie:
Durkheim, pp. 208-213; Merton, pp.
214-223; Cohen, pp. 248-253; Cloward and Ohlin, pp. 283-287
For Learning:
Sutherland, pp. 272-275; Burgess and
Akers, pp. 275-
282; Sykes and Matza, pp. 268-271;
Hirschi, pp. 294-301
