contemporary versions of anomie- strain theory...
TRANSCRIPT
09/20/2012
CONTEMPORARY VERSIONS OF ANOMIE-
STRAIN THEORY
THE FUNCTIONALIST APPROACH
Anomie theories and subculture theories related to
structural functionalism
Popular sociological perspective from late 1930s
into 1960s
Functionalist approach draws parallel between
social order and organic life
Society seen as series of integrated parts, each
working to ensure continuation of organism
STARTING WITH SAINT-SIMON
Saint-Simon emphasized importance of moral
order
One of first to view society as functional
mechanism, greater than its component parts
AND THEN CAME AUGUSTE COMTE
invoked an organic analogy of society
Used terms like elements, organs and tissues to
describe society
EVEN CRIME SERVES A FUNCTION
Durkheim said a certain amount of crime was
normal – found in all societies
Crime helped to define/ shape collective
consciousness
Crime and punishment maintained society’s
fundamental values and preserved its moral order
TALCOTT PARSONS
Started the concept of “structural functionalism”
Pre-eminent sociological paradigm during 1940s
and 1950s
The Structure of Social Action (1937)
The Social System (1951)
PARSONS’ FOUR FUNCTIONAL IMPERATIVES
Adaptation = society had to adapt to its
environment to obtain certain resources necessary
for its survival
Goal attainment = society had to define/ prioritize
its goals, and then strive to achieve them
PARSONS’ FOUR FUNCTIONAL IMPERATIVES
cont.
Integration = society had to regulate/ coordinate
inter=relationships of its subsystems
Latency = society had to maintain conforming
behavior by resolving strains, and motivating
individuals to conform
THE FOUR PARTS OF THE SOCIAL SYSTEM
Function was to maintain society (help it to
survive) and to ensure well-being of its members
Family produces children, teaches them
fundamental values (e.g., belief in merits of hard
work, regard for poverty respect for others)
Schools provide basic knowledge and work skills,
and re-enforce fundamental values
THE FOUR PARTS OF THE SOCIAL SYSTEM
cont.
Religion supports basic values, provides spiritual
avenue to cope with social and personal problems
Economy allows individuals to work, earn and
spend
A HAPPY BALANCE
Society/social system strive for balance or stability,
often referred to as equilibrium
Watch words are consensus and integration
MERTON’S ANOMIE AND DEVIANT BEHAVIOUR
If society is functional, then why do we have
problems like social unrest, drug addiction, drop-
outs and crime?
Merton deliberately distanced himself from
Freudian or psychological explanations
Merton used term “anomie” to describe
dysfunction between (or malintegration of culture
and social) structure (Legge & Messner, 2010)
MERTON’S MANIFEST AND LATENT FUNCTIONS
Manifest functions are those that society intends,
and are often set out as formal institutional goals
A manifest (or intended) function of CJS system is
to punish criminals so that they (and others) will over
the laws
Another manifest function of CJS is to rehabilitate
and reintegrate offenders, so that they can once
again become functional members of society
MERTON’S MANIFEST AND LATENT FUNCTIONS
cont.
Latent functions are those that society does not
intend; they are usually informal, and may have
undesirable outcomes.
An unintended or latent function of CJS is
providing its satisfied customers with training ground
for future criminal activity
THE SOCIAL CONTEXT OF SUBCULTURAL
THEORIES
Emerged during 1950s
Relative prosperity, compared to Great Depression
(Dirty Thirties)
Relative peace and prosperity, compared to WW2,
which lasted from 1939 until 1945
THE AFTERMATH OF WORLD WAR TWO
LIFE WAS GOOD…
WATCHING TV
GANGS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN
ALBERT COHEN
Wrote Delinquent Boys: The Culture of the Gang
in 1955
Cohen studied with Robert Merton at Harvard, and
Edwin Sutherland Indiana
A LOGICAL CONNECTION
Connection to Merton’s strain theory, and to
Chicago School’s concern with inner city slums,
social disorganization and delinquent youth gangs
Connection to Sutherland’s theory of differential
association; Cohen saw his work as elaboration on
some of unresolved issues regarding transmission of
cultural values
GANG SUBCULTURES
Gang delinquency most prevalent amongst lower
class males
Non-utilitarian, malicious and negativistic behavior
Short term hedonism, often causing discomfort to
others
STATUS FRUSTRATION
Members of lower class unable to achieve social
status, because they lacked means.
Would come up against middle class standards at
school, and find they couldn’t meet them
REACTION FORMATION
Cohen viewed delinquent behavior as a type of
reaction formation – a hostile reason to an adverse
environment (i.e., to status frustration)
Also viewed delinquency as a collective solution –
delinquent subculture established new cultural
norms, redefined meaning of status, set new types
of acceptable behavior or conduct
PICKING ON THE LOWER CLASSES
Cohen talked briefly about female delinquency as
being sexually-oriented response to status
frustration associated with sexual double standards
Also talked briefly about delinquency on part of
middle class males as a reaction to anxiety about
their masculinity
IS IT REALLY A THEORY?
Structural or strain theory – points to lack of
institutional means to achieve culturally valued gals
Process theory – describes process though
which individuals/ subgroups become delinquent
IS IT REALLY A THEORY? cont.
Bridging theory – attempts to bring elements of
structure and process together
Consensus theory – assumes that most of us
aspire to middle class standards/ values, and those
who don’t are delinquent
DIFFERENTIAL OPPORTUNITY THEORY
Developed by Cloward and Ohlin
Rooted in Merton’s strain theory, differential
association and in Chicago School
Cloward was Merton’s student at Columbia; Ohlin
was Sutherland’s student, and got his PhD from
University of Chicago
STATUS DISCONTENTMENT
Cloward and Ohlin talked about “status
discontentment”
What sort of illegitimate means are available if
individuals lack access to legitimate means through
which to achieve culturally valued goals?
How do delinquents choose one mode of adaption
over other?
ILLEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURES
“Chicago School” addition to Merton’s strain theory
Chicago School said delinquent subcultures
emerge where there are enough youths available to
band together and reject conventional values
Cloward and Ohlin described three different
illegitimate opportunity structures (or delinquent
subcultures) that were differentially available to
would be delinquents
THE CRIMINAL SUBCULTURE
Criminal subculture found in “organized” slums, as
opposed to “disorganized” slums
Pre-existing crime network, focused on profit-
making
Older, more experienced offenders would serve as
role models for younger, wannabe offenders
CONFLICT SUBCULTURES
• Existed in disorganized slums
Discontented youth did not have access to
illegitimate opportunity structures of criminal
subculture
Rebelled against society and middle class values
nevertheless
Characterized by violence, gang fighting, acting
tough
RETREATIST SUBCULTURES
• Described by drug subculture
Required existence of enough youths who had
been double failures
Couldn’t obtain status through legitimate means,
so used drugs to solve status discontentment
THE RETREATIST SUBCULTURE CONT.
CRITICISMS OF ANOMIE/STRAIN THEORY
If blocked opportunities are the cause of crime,
then why aren’t more women criminals?
Too specific to American society and so-called
American Dream
Assumption that everyone has the same interest in
monetary success
Assumption that socially disadvantaged feel
greater degree of anomie-strain because they lack
access to legitimate opportunity structures
(institutional means)
RELATIVE DEPRIVATION THEORY
Studied by Blau and Blau, Robert Sampson,
Agnew and Messner
“Relative” deprivation not the same as “objective”
or “absolute” deprivation; may not be poor, starving,
living on the streets (Passas, 1997)
Feel deprived in comparison to normative
comparison (reference) group
FOLLOWING THE TRAIL (******)
AGNEW PASSAS
MERTION
DURKHEIM
PROBLEMS WITH ANOMIE THEORY
Class bias – pressure toward deviance is felt
primarily by lower classes
Monolithic view of culture – assumes that we all
strive to attain same cultural goals, symbols of
success
AND THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM…
1. Bring in concept of relative deprivation
2. Bring in reference group analysis
REFERENCE GROUPS
Reference groups set standards
Normative reference groups set group norms for
individuals who wish to gain or maintain group
acceptance
Comparative reference groups are groups that
individuals would like to join, or would like to avoid
joining
REFERENCE GROUPS Cont.
Normative reference groups espouse certain
outlooks or values; do not compare or strive to
compete with other groups
Comparative reference groups more likely to lead
to sense of relative deprivation – used as yardstick
for favorable or unfavorable comparisons
Permits study of deviance and criminality in middle
and upper classes
RELATIVE DEPRIVATION—PERCEPTIONS ARE
IMPORTANT
BACK TO DURKHEIM
Even comparatively wealthy people always want
more
Constant raising of minimum expectations
INSTITUTIONAL ANOMIE THEORY
Messner and Rosenfeld (1994), Crime and the
American Dream (Read before doing tutorial quiz)
Basic features of social organization are culture
and social structure
Culture = shared beliefs, norms, goals (e.g., equal
opportunity, individual freedom, etc)
Social structure = roles and social positions
Culture and social structure are united by social
institutions (most organized societies have
economic, religious, education institutions)
INSTITUTIONAL ANOMIE
Unregulated goals and means (deregulated
capitalist economy) without moral regulation (e.g.,
the CJS, political oversight)
Pursuit of monetary goals at all costs; ends justify
the means
Devaluation of institutional balance of power (e.g.,
between economic institutions and political,
educational family and religious institutions)
Leads to corporate crime, white collar crime,
employee theft, etc
PRESCIENCE
ANOTHER SPLENDID EXAMPLE