Summary
Summary Criminology 310, Unit 6 Exam Notes (Section A)
- Course
- Institution
Detailed, easy to understand summaries for Criminology 310 July Exam. Notes will guarantee a good mark if studied properly.
[Show more]
Seller
Followangeliquezeghers
Reviews received
Content preview
Criminology 310. Exam notes.Study unit 6. Social Structure Perspectives.
DISCUSS DURKHEIM’S ANOMIE THEORY (10 MARKS)
Durkheim, sociology 1892.
Social desires need to be controlled
Assumption: society can fuel crime
Anomie = normlessness
Suicide has societal influence (egoistic, altruistic, fatalistic and anomic)
Anomie = aspirations vs. ability to achieve
Wars, economy, social change
Class differences
Emile Durkheim saw behaviour as socially rather than individually determined. His most NB
contribution to criminology lies in his reviving of the concept anomie, delineated most clearly in
suicide. For Durkheim anomie represented a state of “normlessness”. Because it is norms or socially
expected behaviour, that control how people act, their breakdown represents that to social control.
Durkheim hypothesised that anomie contributes to suicide.
To test his belief that individual behaviour was shaped by larger social phenomena, Durkheim
examined the most individual of all forms of deviance: the taking of one’s own life. His proposition
was that the basic determinants of suicide are social variables such as RELIGION, MARITAL
STATUS, AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS.
He approached the explanation of deviance on a group (or macro) level (attempting to account for
rates of suicide), but the fact that his brother had taken his own life suggests that Durkheim was
interested in interpreting behaviour at the individual (or micro) level as well.
Occasionally he drew analogies in suicide that reflected his concern with bridging a macro-theory
with micro-level explanations. To test his proposition, he examined suicide data from 19th century
Europe and descriptive data about preliterate societies.
Among his findings were:
The rate of suicide is much lower in purely Catholic countries.
Jews showed lower suicide rates than both Catholics and Protestants.
Single persons (including those divorced and separated) are more likely to commit suicide
than married persons.
Suicide rates increase steadily with age.
Suicides are more numerous during periods of economic crisis than during periods of
stability.
Periods of crisis such as war and revolution are associated with higher-than-normal suicide
rates.
The number of suicides in the military is greater than among Christians, and
Suicide is found in some preliterate societies where norms stipulate that wives take their own
lives when their husbands die and that servants kill themselves when their masters die.
Durkheim divided these findings into four categories of suicide related to the social configuration
of society: egoistic, altruistic, fatalistic and anomic. These are on a macro-theoretical level because
Durkheim explained deviances in terms of the organization of society and social institutions.
, It was Durkheim’s research on suicide that laid the foundation for anomie or strain theory. Anomic
suicide occurs when rapid or extreme social change or crisis threatens group norms.
Durkheim’s FOUR TYPES OF SUICIDE are:
1. EGOISTIC – suicide resulting from the weakening of commitment to group values and
goals, especially when the individual has come to rely primarily upon his or her own
resources.
2. ALTRUISTIC – suicide precipitated by an over-commitment to group values and norms.
3. FATALISTIC – suicide derived from excessive regulation (e.g. slavery or imprisonment)
4. ANOMIC – suicide that occurs when rapid or extreme social change or crisis threaten group
norms.
Anomie:
A state or a condition in society in which the norms are no longer effective in regulating
behaviour.
Is also the result of a disjunction between people’s aspirations and their ability to achieve
these goals.
May be brought about by rapid social change such as drastic economic growth.
Class differences as Durkheim speculated that such economic expansion would be more
likely to affect the upper and middle classes, whose expectations and aspirations expand
to an insatiable level.
Durkheim noted a lower suicide rate among the lower classes and suggested that poverty
insulated the poor from experiencing anomie and, thus, suicide.
Durkheim felt, aspirations, are class related, with the upper classes having higher goals than
those below them
He felt that a successful social structure defines reasonable limits for desires, but that
when social organization falters, insatiable desires are unleashed.
Unlimited aspirations create pressure for deviant solutions. Recent instances of “creative
accounting” practices that lead to criminal charges, serve as examples of the effect of such
unlimited aspirations.
DISCUSS MERTON’S THEORY OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND ANOMIE. (10 MARKS)
Merton (1938) – social conditions
Desires are socially generated
Cultural systems = values and goals
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller angeliquezeghers. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $2.85. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75323 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now