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