The strength of the functionalist theory is that it a macro level structural theory which uses an organic analogy- using the body as a way to describe the different parts within society. It referred to the sense of discouragement that young, working-class males felt as a result of being defined as failures and denied respect from the rest of society. Have all your study materials in one place. Neo-Marxists argue that traditional Marxist criminology is far too deterministic. Well also be exploring how Durkheims ideas have been extended by the likes of Merton, Cohen, Cloward and Ohlin, and Hirschi. Let's take a look at how the Marxist perspective on crime has been taken up and extended by other scholars and branches of sociology. The capitalist system is ___________. The impacts upon the deviant after being labelled as such. Provide an example of how the law reflects the interests of the ruling class. Interactionism states that social order and control are constructed by people as they navigate everyday life. hugh o'brian estate; senior analyst job description accenture. Durkheim believed that a certain amount of crime was inevitable. Functionalist Theories of Crime: Explanation. This is called. The primary strength of the functionalist theory is that it a macro level structural theory which uses an organic analogy, using the body as a way to describe the different parts within society. This is a modernist theory. Strain theory disproportionately attributes criminal activity to the working class by using official crime statistics, which tend to obscure white-collar crime. Corporate crimes tend to be more leniently dealt with (if theyre ever prosecuted at all), while financial crimes committed by the poor are almost always pursued by law enforcement. Create and find flashcards in record time. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. It was this egoism that served as an indirect cause of criminal or deviant activity. . Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. Besides highlighting its inevitability, Durkheim said that this limited amount of crime is also beneficial for the creation of a healthy society due to the positive functions that it serves for society as a whole. Within this theory, function refers . Radical criminology takes on both micro and macro evaluations, emphasising the importance of studying the state-level management of the criminogenic capitalist society and lower-level interactions between, for example, the police and deviants. Willem Bonger (1916) was one of the first criminologists to apply Marxs theory of crime to his own study. The form which these relationships take is what provides the context for other types of relationships, like political and cultural ones. Another key difference between functionalist and Marxist theories of crime rests on causation. Criminals therefore, perform a crucial service in helping the law to reflect the wishes of the population and legitimising social change. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs, traditions and institutions (Vibha Desai, 2013). It explains why certain demographics may be more likely to commit a crime, accounting for aspects like motivation. Functionalism being a macro-scale approach is therefore seen as a strength as it allows functionalist sociologists to observe society, and its institutions, as a whole. Working class culture emphasised six focal concerns (or core values) which encouraged criminal behaviour amongst working class youth. Theres no objective way of knowing how much crime is beneficial to society, or how much is excessive and has the potential to lead to a dysfunctional society. Explain the issue of police brutality from the perspective of Durkheims functionalism (social integration, social regulation and social change). Unlike functionalist theory, conflict theory is better at explaining social change, and weaker at explaining social stability. Explain a key limitation of Cloward and Ohlin's (1961) Opportunity Structure theory. Create the most beautiful study materials using our templates. Social bonds theory explained the prevalence of deviance by saying that those who do commit crimes are most likely to have weak social bonds to members and institutions of society. It seeks to explain crime by looking at the nature of society, rather than at individuals. As a result, they believe that working-class crime is a response to the class struggles experienced by the proletariat. What are the strengths and weaknesses of structural functionalism? Marxism is a conflict structuralist theory in sociology, pioneered by, is at the core of all societies. Therefore, people turn away from legitimate means of achieving material success and take up crime as a way to achieve it. An example of functionalist theory would be that crime has a specific function in society. - Doesn't look at the motives of why people commit. Radical criminology takes on both micro and macro evaluations, emphasising the importance of studying the state-level management of the criminogenic capitalist society and lower-level interactions between, for example, the police and deviants. This can then lead to a range of behavioural reactions where rules and norms are . The solution involved the group using their shared problem to collectively form a deviant subculture which turned the norms of the dominant culture upside down. Deviant subcultures are formed by people who dont agree with the norms and values of the broader community. Sign up to highlight and take notes. It offers an insight into group deviance in the form of subculture formation, but fails to acknowledge crimes committed by the privileged. Marxist feminists believe that the main cause of crime is to oppress working-class women, as gender inequality stems from economic inequalities in society. According to Marxists, the most important relationships in society are economic relationships. Because of the individualistic focus of capitalism, the social bonds that tie people together are weakened and members of society are then subjected to acting out of pure self-interest. One of the several branches of feminism is, Marxist feminism is a theory that proposes that gender inequality stems from economic inequalities. Positives of functionalism. Stop procrastinating with our study reminders. Learn Exercises, content from STARK, individual learning plans & much more Better grades with StudySmarter More specifically, societys laws tend to enhance the occurrence of trade, industry growth, and private ownership. Capitalism provides the context in which women can be exploited by men within the market. There is a much wider variety of subcultures that Cohen does not account for in his explanation for deviance. Lets take a look at these functions. Symbolic interaction has various strengths and weaknesses as a sociological perspective. The functionalist view on crime explains the existence of crime as being the result of the structure of society (rather than as a result of individuals themselves). Delinquents tend to engage in gang violence as a means to gain status from other members of the gang. He also identified some more 'deviant' adaptations: 2. Corporate crimes tend to be more leniently dealt with (if theyre ever prosecuted at all), while financial crimes committed by the poor are almost always pursued by law enforcement. The existence of laws protecting the ruling class is slightly more obscure in more developed countries than in third-world countries. . To that end, well be diving into functionalist theories of crime or functionalist criminology. It could be that some crimes may be so harmful that they will always be, Secondly, Durkheim is suggesting that the criminal justice system benefits everyone in society by punishing criminals and reinforcing the acceptable boundaries of behaviour. The Marxist theorisation of egoism in capitalist society provides a sound explanation for the existence of both working and upper-class crime. The weaknesses of functionalist theoryis that it tends to lead to exaggerated accounts of positive consequences of sports and sports participation however it mistakenly assumes that there are no conflicts of interests between the different citizen groups in society such as women, people with disabilities, racial groups and people who are In this section, youll find an explanation of the Marxist view on crime. Although the functionalism argument has been criticised for being in no position to focus on social conflict when it is based upon consensus and how the unity of people . Which of the following is NOT a function of crime, according to functionalists? Lastly, we will also take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of functionalist theories of crime. The first one was the most 'traditional'. Ritualism: abandoning the goal of success but still conforming to the means to achieve it. they are enforced more strictly among the poor. of the users don't pass the Functionalist Theories of Crime quiz! Sociological theories are very useful in the study of criminal behavior because unlike psychological and biological theories they are mostly macro level theories which attempt to explain rates of crime for a group or an area rather, criminal behavior theories that attempt to . Sociological Theory: Sociological theory seeks to fill in the gaps and provide information about how facts are related to each other within a social structure; it attempts to make sense of human behavior. Postmodernists argue society is so diverse, there is no such thing as normal. While theft is a common crime with the aim of financial gain, some more obscure crimes committed by the wealthy obtain similar results. In Durkheims own words punishment serves to heal the wounds done to the collective sentiments. Neo-Marxism is a more recent version of traditional Marxist theory, which considers critiques of the original theory when forming explanations of their own. The strengths and weaknesses of this philosophy show some sets of benefits and drawbacks, creating a system of government that is prone to abuse, that is why Marx to fix its flaws. Their reactions and actions towards them are according to their understanding of such. The Functionalist analysis of crime starts with society as a whole. Gives insight into small-scale human interactions. Deviant behaviour causes people to reflect on what is or isnt allowed within a particular society, allowing them to discover when the law doesnt line up with the collective sentiments of the majority. One of the several branches of feminism is Marxist feminism. He pointed out that crime happens in even the most advanced communities and that this is normal. This is further identified a weakness by the conflict perspective. Interactionists take the approach that crime and deviance is a social construction. The prevalence of crime and deviance is explained by Marxists as being the result of the very nature of capitalism, the key feature of which is the maximisation of profit through private ownership over the means of production. Create flashcards in notes completely automatically. True or false? Stop procrastinating with our smart planner features. For Durkheim, crime is inevitable and has several functions in society - including those related to social integration, social regulation and social change. Highlights crime committed by marginalised communities at the expense of realising that some crimes, like white-collar crime, rely on the existence of social bonds. Albert Cohen (1955) built on Merton's Strain theory, with his theory of status frustration. 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