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Summary Functionalists explanations for crime and deviance_'Flic of the page' sociology notes by Platinum8
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Functionalists explanations for crime and deviance09 February 2021 15:01
- Functionalism provides a normative definition of crime and
deviance.
- Meaning an action which consists of a violation of social norms
- Presents an image of society which exist shared norms and values.
The deviant is the person who breaks these shared norms and
values
- Consensus - Durkheim claims that society shares a set of 'core
values'
-
-
- Socioeconomic class
- Core values are evident in society
kim at 10/02/2021 08:57
Crime - functional - positive
Durkehim thought crime was functional
- Social solidarity
- He thought crime was positive
- Brings together uptight consciences
Positive aspects of crime: Reaffirming boundaries
- Collective conscience as all members in the community
○ Reaffirming existing values
share a set of norms and values
○ Boundaries of acceptable behaviours are made know by the arrest of those who transgress/
break the rules.
- 'Crime brings together upright consciences'
- 'social solidarity'
- All members in community share a set of norms and values, right and wrong= 'collective
conscience' Boundary maintenance
- ^- leads to a community of police ^- expressed through shared shock, outrage, horror, anger, Learn what is acceptable behaviour within a group
fear or grief. - Publicly condemning
Boundary maintenance and the promotion of social change - Puritans & Erikson - 'public degradation
- Members of society - must learn boundaries of what is acceptable behaviour within that group. ceremonies - media coverage of crime - societal
- Crime and deviance - does this through punishing and publicly condemning those who stray reaction
beyond these boundaries.
- Punishments can involve agencies of social control - identifying & publicise deviance & control
it through the application of sanctions.
Study - Wayward Puritans, Erikson (1966)
- Members take part in 'public degradation ceremonies'.
- Range from public trials to media coverage of crime
- Radio and television took on the role of public condemnation - today's social media -eg twitter
- Societal reaction - help society progress by showing when a new consensus is emerging. E.G.
Changing attitudes towards homosexuality in the uk - changed it from being a criminal offence
to gay marriage in 2014
Activity
1.
A)Pornography - functional - likely to happen, inevitable, - create discussion- can provoke change
B) 'people binge-drinking at the weekend' - re-affirms the boundaries between acceptable and
deviant behaviour
C) 'football hooliganism' - reflects consensus view of which behaviour is acceptable and which
shall be deterred with the prospect of punishment.
D) 'Drink-driving' - provokes 'public degradation' on social media platforms such as twitter -
reassures the collective conscience - leads to a community of police - expressed through shared
shock, outrage, horror, anger, fear or grief.
2.
1. Value Consensus - shared set of norms and values - murder is bad
2. Collective conscience - shared set of values or beliefs people have e.g. Laws that socialise people
into what is 'right and wrong'.
3. Anomie - describes a state of normlessness - social bonds that held society together have broken
down = a lack of social order E.G. Riots caused by the change of governmental laws
4. 'Agencies of social control' police, government, law enforcers prevent people from acting
deviantly of committing crime
5. 'Public degradation ceremonies' - people that participate in confrontations with a deviant
Activity:
person. E.g. Public hangings - radio and television , social media like twitter.
Lance Armstrong
1) Lance armstrong supports Merton's ideas as he proves that individuals will
Anomie :normlessness, social bonds that help society together have broken down.
do anything such as commit crimes to achieve success.
Evaluating Durkheim
2) This attitude is prevalent in other sports such as Tyson Gay.
- Fails to explain why particular social groups commit crime.
3) Other examples of people committing crime to achieve material success
- Doesn't explain why deviance happens
includes people selling drugs or smuggling illegal substances across the
- Why some people do it more than others
border, robbery etc
- Why people are deviant in different ways.
Anomie - describes a state of normlessness - social bonds
Merton and strain theory
- Functionalist
'american dream' - financial freedom & being successful.
- Developed Durkheim's idea of anomie in order to explain why people who are poor or working
class are more likely to commit crime.
- Western societies - consensus = goal of the attainment of material ot monetary success
- Occurs when goals are emphasised more than the acceptable means
- 'strain towards anomie'
- American culture proves this - they are continually pressured to find ways of becoming
financially successful and making more money. 'American Dream'
- Merton states - there is not much emphasis on the legitimate ways to achieve the goal of
success
- Those lower in society - would have restricted goals [not expecting to become millionaires]
- 5 responses to goal of success 'modes of adaptation'
- Conformity - strive to material success using legitimate means - conform and obey the law.
- Innovation - have been successfully socialised into the consensus, - realise this will not make
them money quick enough - turns to illegitimate criminal means to achieve that goal. -
constitute the main body of criminals in society
- Ritualism - realise material success is never going to come but compensate by gaining
satisfaction from their jobs. - e.g insisting that clients oor customers follow the rules to the
ritualist's satisfaction.
- Retreatism - minority - reject goal of material success and legitimate means. Choose to be
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