EXAM 1 PERFORMANCE(AFTER THE CURVE)

SOCIAL STRUCTURE I

Emile DurkheimThe “Chicago School”Social Disorganization

EMILE DURKHEIM (LATE 1858-1917) French Scientist

Suicide Humans nature: selfish and

insatiable Effective Societies able to “cap”

desires Socialization & Social Ties

Special concern with “Industrial Prosperity”

Coined the Term “Anomie”: Institutionalized norms lose ability to

control human behavior and human needs

DURKHIEM’S LEGACY

Rapidly Changing Society

“Industrial Prosperity”

Anomie (Norms are Weakened)

Human Nature asInsatiable; must

therefore cap or control

Social Ties Important

The Anomie/Strain Tradition

(Next Week)

The Social Disorganization and “Informal Control” Tradition (Today/Tuesday)

MEANWHILE, BACK IN AMERICA

“Social Pathologists” (1900-1930) Cities as “bad” and “corrupting” Immigrants as amoral and inferior

Chicago School (1930s) University of Chicago (Sociologists) Tie to Durkheim: City/Societal Growth

Worry over lack of integration (and control)

PARK & BURGESS (1925)

How does a city growth and develop? Concentric Zones in Chicago

Industrial zone

Zone in transition

Residential zones

SHAW AND MCKAY

Juvenile Delinquency in Urban Areas 1942. Mapped addresses of delinquents (court

records) Zone in transition stable and high

delinquency rates over many years Implications of these findings:

1. Stable, despite multiple waves of immigrants!!

2. Only certain areas of the city Something about

this area causes delinquency

SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION

What were the characteristics of the zone in transition that may cause high delinquency rates? Population Heterogeneity Population Turnover Physical Decay Poverty/Inequality

Why might these ecological characteristics lead to high crime rates?

EXPLAINING HIGH CRIME IN THE ZONE OF TRANSITION

1. Social Control Little community “cohesion,” therefore, weak

community institutions and lack of control Borrowed from Durkheim here: humans need to be

controlled or deviance and crime will result.

2. Cultural Transmission of Values Once crime becomes rooted in a neighborhood,

delinquent values are passed trough generations of delinquents

SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION 1960-1980

Fell out of favor in sociology in 1950s Individual theories gained popularity

Criticisms of Social Disorganization Use of “Official Data” Are these neighborhoods really

“disorganized?” Cannot measure “intervening variables” “Chicago Specific” (not all cities grow in

rings)

MODERN S.D. THEORY

Interest rekindled in the 1980s Continues today with “ecological studies” Reborn as a pure social control theory (left

behind “transmission of values”) Addressing criticism

“Concentric rings” not necessary, it is simply a neighborhood level theory

Ecological characteristics do affect a neighborhoods level of informal control

SAMPSON AND GROVES (1989)

ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Population turnover• Poverty / inequality• Divorce rates • Single parents

SOCIAL CONTROL• Street supervision• Friendship networks • Participation in organizations

Using British Crime Survey Data (BCS)

SAMPSON (1997)

Replicated results in Chicago Areas with “concentrated disadvantage,”

(poverty, race, age composition, family disruption) lack “collective efficacy”

Willingness to exercise control (tell kids to quiet down)

Willingness to trust or help each other Lack of collective efficacy increases crime

rates

SAMPSON FRIENDS (1997-PRESENT) VERSION

Concentrated Disadvantage(Ecological)

• Population turnover• Poverty / inequality• Race composition • Family disruption • Physical decay

Collective Efficacy• Willingness to supervise/confront in neighborhood

• Mutual trust and willingness to help neighbors

Data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods

CRIME• Homicide • Violence as “problem”• Victimization

REVIEW OF SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION Macro (Neighborhood) level theory

Explains why certain neighborhoods have high crime rates

Theory of “Places,” and not “People” Not all people who live there are “crime

prone,” in fact most are law-abiding Not simply a result of “bad people” moving

into certain neighborhoods

RETURN OF THE “CULTURAL TRANSMISSION”

William J. Wilson (Concentrated Poverty) The “Underclass” or “Truly Disadvantaged” Cultural Isolation no contact with “mainstream”

individuals/institutions Little respect for “life” Hyper materialism, violence as “normative” Some believe recent “crime drop” reflect move away

from these values

Elijah Anderson Code of the Streets Disrespect and fear of disrespect at heart of

code

BEYOND “INFORMAL” CONTROLS

Robert Bursik Residents of the zone in transition lack

“political capital” Inadequate access to public services

S.D. AS AN EXPLANATION FOR HIGH RATES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN OFFENDING

William Julius Wilson and Robert Sampson High proportion of the current members of

the “Zone in Transition.” Public Policy made matters worse (high rise

“projects” of the 1950s-60s) Why do African Americans not “move out”

like prior ZIT residents (immigrants)? Housing Segregation Loss of Manufacturing Jobs The irony of “Black Flight”

SAMPSON AND WILSON II

Clarify the “cultural component” Issue of “disrespect” rooted in legacy of

racism and despair (e.g., based on reality). Idea of “cognitive landscape”

When violence is a regular part of reality, it seems more “normal” as a response.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS?

Build neighborhood “collective efficacy” How do you do this?

Address ecological characteristics that ruin collective efficacy Family disruption, concentrated poverty,

residential mobility Moving to Opportunity Program in

Baltimore Randomly moved 200 families from high poverty to low

poverty—then track the children

Community Policing Movement

FEATURE PRESENTATION + GROUP WORK What in the video clip can you connect

to social disorganization theory? Ecological factors? Social control? Cognitive landscape?

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