Transcript Functionalism & Crime lesson 2

Complete the gap fill activity to summarise what we
covered last lesson about Durkheim
Anomie- confusion over right
and wrong behaviour (the norms
of society)
Merton – strain theory
The Pursuit of Happiness – why did we watch this clip?
Do not write
anything from the
following slides –
really listen!!!!
Adaptations to strain
 Conformity:
 Individuals accept the culturally approved goals and
strive to achieve them legitimately. This is most likely
amongst middle class individuals who have good
opportunities to achieve.
Adaptations to strain
 Innovation:
 Individuals accept the goal of money success but use
“new” illegitimate means such as theft or fraud to
achieve it.
Adaptations to strain
 Ritualism:
 Individuals give up on trying to achieve goals but have
internalised the legitimate means and so they follow
the rules for their own sake.
Adaptations to strain
 Retreatism:
 Individuals reject both the goals and the legitimate
means and become drop outs. In this category Merton
includes vagrant, tramps, chronic drunkards, etc.
Adaptations to strain
 Rebellion:
 Individuals reject the existing society goals and means
but they replace them with new ones in a desire to
bring about a revolutionary change.
Adaptations to strain
 Rebellion
 Retreatism
 Ritualism
 Innovation
 Conformity
Now note down each method of coping with the ‘strain’
Briefly explain how people who take this approach
behave.
How could one
criticise the work of
Merton?
Looking at the types
and levels of crime
that occur in Modern
Britain could one
conclude that
Merton’s theories are
correct?
Do many people in
Britain suffer from
Anomie?
Evaluation of Merton
 Merton shows how both normal and deviant behaviour can
arise from the same mainstream goals in the pursuit of
financial success: one legitimately and the other
illegitimately.
 Merton also through the strain theory can give a better
explanations for statistics although mainly taking them at
face value stereotyping mainly the working class, thus
rendering it a working class phenomenon.
 It fails to look at the power of the ruling class which favours
the rich and criminalises the poor.
Social control
 Social control is highly linked with the concept of
crime and deviance and manifest itself in two forms:
1.
Formal social control: what is practised by specific
social agencies which have the role of maintaining
order in society.
2. Informal social control: more subtle form of control
which is manifested in the social interaction in
which we engage in everyday.
Task
 Read the handout on “The Wayward Puritans” and on
your table discuss the following.
In what way did the Puritans contribute to the
maintenance of social order,
2. What enabled the Puritans to have such high levels
of social control,
3. Why would other members of society follow the
concept of Puritanism?
1.