Chapter 6 Key Terms & Concepts - Sociological Theories
mechanical solidarity
- being alike - solidarity from collective conscience - retributive law: violations are punished harshly
organic solidarity
- being unique - solidarity from interdependence - restitutive law: reforming
elements of internal structures
- positive self-concept - self-control - strong ego - high tolerance for frustration - strong sense of responsibility
elements of external structures
- roles that guide individual activites - reasonable limits - status achievement - identification with others - sense of belonging
general strain theory
Agnew's revision of classical strain theory, which identifies three major types of strain: failure to achieve goals, the loss of positive stimuli, and the gain of negative stimuli
differential opportunity theory
Cloward and Ohlin's idea that subcultures provide youths with ways to adapt to the lack of legitimate opportunities and with the prospect of developing illegitimate ways of responding to impoverished and disorganized urban life
general theory of crime
Gottfredson and Hirschi's theory emphasizing the importance of parental influence on children's development of self-control
differential association
Sutherland's idea that offenders learn crime from each other
subculture of violence
a culture apart from the main social culture that holds violence to be part of its values, lifestyle, and socialization
control theories of crime
a perspective that questions why most people do not break the law
techniques of neutralization theory
a perspective that refers to the excuses some offenders use to justify breaking the law
power-control theory of crime
a theory that seeks to explain why males commit more offenses and delinquency than females
operant conditioning
a type of learning based on the positive or negative consequences of an action or behavior
Durkheim
anomie/mechanic and organic solidarity
Haeckel
atavism
What are the bonds of Hirschi's social bond theory?
attachment commitment involvement belief
focal concerns
attitudes that the lower classes perpetuate as part of the values and norms they believe are necessary for survival in their neighborhoods
Skinner
behaviorism
Merton
classical strain theory
Kohlberg
cognitive theory
Walter Reckless
containment theory
Walter Reckless
developed the containment control theory to explain how some resist the pressure to become deviants
Gottfredson and Hirschi
developed the general theory of crime to understand the importance of parental influence on child development
John Hagan
developed the power control theory; his research focused on the roles within the family unit, especially that of patriarchy
Travis Hirschi
developed the social bond control theory
Sutherland
differential association theory
Cloward and Ohlin
differential opportunity theory
Agnew
general strain theory
Hirschi and Gottfredson
general theory of crime
Rosenfeld and Messner
institutional anomie
egalitarian family
less delinquency; equal male/female delinquency
patriarchal family
more male delinquency
PATHE
positive action through holistic education - reduces delinquency by strengthening students' commitment to school
Freud
psychoanalytic theory
Hirschi
social bond
Shaw and McKay
social disorganization/concentric zones
Akers
social learning theory
Walter Miller
subcultural theory - focal concerns
Wolfgang
subculture of violence
Skyes and Matza
techniques of neutralization and delinquency drift
instutitional anomie
the condition that occurs when people's commitment to societal institutions becomes subservient to achieving the goal of wealth, which leads to the inability of the neglected institutions to control behavior
differential reinforcement
the encouragement of one behavior instead of another
anomie
the erosion of standards resulting from a lack of social control and values that leads to social instability
containment theory
the idea that everyone has internal and external structures that hold them within the larger social structure
concentric zone theory
the idea that geographical areas radiate out from an expanding urban center and that each area has certain dominant social attitudes
social learning theory
the idea that people learn how to act by watching others and copying the interactions that are rewarded and by avoiding those that are punished
classical strain theory
the idea that people who experience anger and frustration when they cannot achieve cultural goals through legitimate means to try to achieve goals through illegitimate means
social disorganization theory
the idea that the breakdown of social bonds and the failure of social institutions cause crime
social bond theory
the idea that there are forces that keep people connected to social norms and values
sociological imagination
the idea that we must look beyond our personal experiences to the experiences of others in order to evaluate how social location influences how individuals perceive society
collective efficacy
the measure of the amount of informal social control and social cohesion, or trust, in a community
learning theories of crime
these theories focus on where and how adult offenders and delinquents find the tools, techniques, and expertise to break the law