FunctionalismG673

Odd One Out?

Learning Objectives

ÉMILE DURKHEIM (1858 – 1917)

Theories of Crime & Deviance

Durkheim (1895)

“Crime is normal, inevitable and functional...a certain amount of

crime is an integral part of all healthy societies...”

In pairs, note down some ideas as to why Durkheim might think crime is:

Normal InevitableFunctional

DurkheimCrime is normal because:It is a feature of every human society

Crime is inevitable because:Societies need laws, but laws will

always create crimeA crime-free society is unachievable......and every society needs crime, it is

functional (meaning it has positive functions).

Positive functions of crime?

On your mini-whiteboard, write down three ways in which you think crime could be argued to be good for society...

Positive functions of crimeReaffirms boundaries

When crime is committed and publicised, the shared values of our society are reaffirmed. We learn appropriate behaviour through seeing inappropriate behaviour punished.

Positive functions of crimeSocial Cohesion

Tragedy and loss bring us together and help mend divisions in our society, strengthening our sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘community’.

Positive functions of crimeWarning Signal

When one particular type of crime increases, it can point to problems in the social system (e.g. truancy; military desertion).

Positive functions of crimeSocial Progress

People who challenge norms and values help create better ways of living; today’s deviants are tomorrow’s innovators.

In Pairs...

List as many examples as you can of incidents of criminal

behaviour – recent or historic - that have helped positive

changes occur in our society (or another society).

5 mins

Ext:- Consider how that particular society might be different had that individual not behaved in that way...

Other Positive functions of crimeEmployment

Crime and deviance create employment, therefore contributing to the economy.

Safety ValveReleasing small amounts of anger and tension prevents the build-up of greater frustrations that could cause major problems.

Positive Functions of CrimeIn small groups (10 mins):Thinking about Durkheim’s positive

functions for crime and deviance, to what extent could the London

Riots be said to have been functional for UK society? You

should research, discuss and then present...

How Much Crime?Too little crime is unhealthy; it

means that the values of a society are so strong that they prevent innovation and change, which a healthy society needs.

However, if these values are not strong enough, they can easily be disrupted and anomie can arise, which would cause too much crime.

ANOMIE!!!!!!!!

Society shares common value (Collective Conscience)

Something changes in society...

The Collective Conscience breaks down

People don’t know how to behave, so look after themselves...

So for Durkheim, anomie is what happens when people act for their own interests rather than for the good of society...An anomic society would be crime-ridden.

Evaluation Of DurkheimFunctionalists do not consider the

impact of crime on victims and their friends, families and communities. Crime may be functional, but at what cost? (Downes & Rock; 1998)

Durkheim is vague on just how much crime there should be.

Watch the short film: Functions of Crime

Homework: Durkheim on Suicide

Probably Durkheim’s most famous work is his case study on suicide, which he described as “the ultimate deviant act”.

Research this study and write a 500 word summary of the study and its findings.

Due: Next Lesson

Individual Written ActivitySpend 5 minutes writing a short

(200-300 word) response to the following:

Using contemporary and historic examples, identify and explain two ways in which crime can be positive for societies (according

to Functionalists).

STRAIN THEORYRobert Merton (1910 – 2003)

ANOMIE!!!!!!!!

Merton was inspired by Durkheim’s concept of anomie but thought Durkheim’s definition was too vague.

Society shares common value (Collective Conscience)

These values create desirable cultural ‘goals’...

We are encouraged to achieve these goals, but not always told how...

...Therefore, people find their own ways to achieve them for themselves...

Merton (1938)Applied the concept to 1930s US

societyHe wanted to explain why

working-class young men dominated the crime statistics.

Identified that the meritocratic American Dream was causing problems for this group as it placed too much emphasis on cultural goals and not enough on the means to achieve them.

Discuss

What is the ‘American Dream’?

Merton’s ‘Strain Theory’Meritocratic ideals cause

problems in the USA, because they encourage aspirations of material wealth in people who will never have the means or opportunities to achieve them.

This creates a strain in the social structure.

Merton identified five possible responses to this strain...

Strain Theory

This is Geoff. Geoff is poor. Very poor. He looks like a homeless guy, but don’t worry, he’s not quite that poor. He’s just chilling right now on the street in some dirty clothes, having a snack.Geoff has no real qualifications or skills. He works 40hrs a week digging ditches for some reason. He gets paid next to nothing, just enough to cover his bills and get him a bit of food.Geoff’s lives in a tiny rented bedsit. It’s of very poor quality. Geoff’s dream is to own his own nice apartment. Everyone on TV and in commercials live in nice apartments. All his bosses at work live in nice apartments. The government says that every hard-working American has a right to live in a nice place. Having a nice apartment would be a sign of success; a sign that Geoff has made something of his life. Geoff’s wages would not get him anywhere near to affording the depositfor a nice apartment. He has no savings.Discuss in Pairs: What should Geoff do to help him towards his dream? Come up with 3 potential options for Geoff.

Strain Theory

Geoff could conform: Keep working hard and hope for the best.

Geoff could give up on his dreams and just dig ditches the rest of his life like a zombie.

Geoff could innovate. He’ll never afford a nice place just by working his day job, so better find new ways of raising the cash.

Geoff could retreat from society. He’ll never afford a nice place, so what’s the point in anything?

Geoff could rebel. Society is forcing him to work and forcing him to dream. F@#£ society!

The SPORTS Car: Match the statements to the response

“I’m never going to be able to afford a sport’s car, but I guess I’ll just carry on working hard anyway...”

“A sport’s car isn’t going to make people respect me...but a gun might!”

“A sports car would be great...perhaps I’ll steal one...”“I know I’ll never afford a sport’s car; I may as well

just give up my job...”“If I work really hard, maybe I’ll somehow afford a

sports car...”

In pairs, come up with an example of your own!

(5 mins)

Strain TheoryAccording to Merton: Because lots of people

respond to the strain through innovation or rebellion, the nature of US society actually creates crime and deviance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCuGJB1f8gQ

Discuss: Can Merton’s strain theory be equally applied to the contemporary

UK?

Discuss

Are there any crimes that strain theory can’t explain?

Do you think everyone in society does, generally, want the same things?

Why might Merton not be fully qualified to draw his conclusions?

Problems with strain theory...Strain theory does not explain all crime. For

example, it cannot really explain crimes that are not for personal gain (e.g. Vandalism)

Valier (2001) argues that there are not really any ‘common goals’; there are many different goals that different people aspire to.

Merton is a white, middle-class, male American in the early 20th Century. His theories are limited to his time, place and experiences.

OTHER FUNCTIONALIST THEORIES & IDEAS

Status Frustration (A.K. Cohen; 1955)Inspired by Merton, but felt that deviant

responses tended to be subcultural rather than individual.

Also noted that majority of youth offenders were from working class backgrounds.

Status Frustration: A sense of personal failure or inadequacy.

To gain status, youths formed subcultures that inverted traditional (middle-class) values.

Status Frustration:Low

achievement at school

Status Frustration

Inversion of values

Delinquent subculture

Status compensation

Criticisms

Cohen only researched males – there is no discussion of females.

Cohen suggests that it is within the education system that most young people demonstrate either success or failure – but he could not prove this was the case.

The Social Responsibility Quiz (record your responses!)1. You see someone throwing a

McDonald’s carton on the pavement. Do you...

a) Tell them to pick it up?b) Ignore it?c) Put it in the bin yourself?

The Social Responsibility Quiz (record your responses!)2. You pass a homeless person

begging in the street. Do you:a) Give them money (min. 20p)?b) Pretend you haven’t seen them?c) Tell them to get a job?d) Tell them you won’t give them

any money but you will buy/give them a cup of coffee or a sandwich if they want...?

The Social Responsibility Quiz (record your responses!)3. A particular student is

always being made fun of by other students in your year. Do you:

a) Join in bullying them?b) Feel sorry for them, but do

nothing?c) Confront the bullies?d) Tell a tutor or person in

authority?

The Social Responsibility Quiz (record your responses!)4. You see a purse on the

dance-floor of a club. You pick it up and it contains £100. Do you:

a) Hand it in to the club manager or to the person behind the bar?

b) Take the money?c) Leave the purse and money on

the floor?

The Social Responsibility Quiz: Marks1. a5, b1, c22. a2, b1, c0, d53. a0, b1, c5, d34. a5, b0, c1

The Social Responsibility Quiz: ResultsLess than 7: You are a terrible

person...please stop studying sociology and do business studies instead.

8-12: You do care about other people...shame you don’t do much about it.

13-19: You are caring and helping...and maybe a little smug.

20: Very impressive...but be careful about confronting people so much if you want to live to a ripe old age.

Why?The quiz helps demonstrate that

most of us are not criminal (hopefully!)...we are bound by the shared norms and values of our society and these control our behaviour to some extent.

Without sharing these norms and values, anomie would arise...

Travis Hirschi (1969)Most sociological theories on crime

and deviance attempt to explainwhy people commit crimes...

...Hirschi argued that a better approach would be to explore why most people don’t commit crimes.

In pairs (2 mins), list a minimum of three reasons why you would not knowingly

commit a serious crime!

Hirschi: ‘Bonds of Attachment’1. Attachment (caring about the opinions

and wishes of others)2. Commitment (the personal investments

we have in our lives e.g. jobs, relationships)

3. Involvement (the amount of free time we have)

4. Belief (our commitment to the rules and goals of our society and our respect for authority)

The greater our bonds of attachment, the lower our levels of crime.

Groups: 5 minsChoose one of Hirschi’s ‘bonds of

attachment’ and identify ways in which these bonds could be strengthened to prevent people committing crimes.

Ext: - Think about ways in which the government could develop policy around the

bonds.

Note:Functionalist views – in particular,

strain theory – have inspired many subcultural explanations for crime and deviance e.g. Nightingale, Bourgois, Cloward & Ohlin.

We will cover these later in the unit, but all can be included in an exam answer on functionalism.

EvaluationFunctionalists accept the official

statistics without question. This means they see crime as mainly a working class problem, and ignore white-collar crime.

The functionalists also fail to take into account the individual thoughts and feelings of deviants. They assume, for example, that all working class people respond to society in the same way.

EvaluationFunctionalism rests on the principle

that the law represents everyone’s interests equally. They ignore arguments that the law can be used by the powerful to control the weak.

FUNCTIONALISM

STRAIN THEORY

ANOMIE

SOCIAL COHESION

HIRSCHI

These are the answers…what are the questions?