Scientific Study of Societal "Laws“ Rapid Social Change: modernization in U.S.

◦ Industrialization (WWI) Agriculture Factories

◦ Urbanization Migration Immigration

◦ Instability (strain on social structures): Social Disorganization

Exponential growth, 1850-1940◦ Migration ◦ Immigration

Social Disorganization◦ Wm. Isaac Thomas (1863-1947) & Florian

Znaniecki (1882-1958)◦ The Polish Peasant in Europe & America

◦ "a decrease of the influence of existing social rules of behavior upon individual members of the group”

◦ Definition of the situation Dealing with new situation Generational effect

Younger more likely to be deviant

Robert Park and Ernest Burgess (1886-1966)

Ecology◦ Process of invasion & settlement of a territory◦ Settlement patterns

Concentric Zones

Burgess’ diagram of concentric zones

Zones◦ Central Business District

The Loop◦ Zone II (zone in transition)

High population turnover (4-7 years)◦ Zone III

Workingmen’s homes◦ Zone IV

Residential zone (single-family homes; apartments)

Louis Wirth: "Urbanism as a Way of Life" Frederick Thrasher: Gangs

◦ Daniel Bell (“Crime as an American Way of Life”)

Thorsten Sellin: Culture Conflict

Ecology and Juvenile Delinquency◦ Bernard Lander (Towards an Understanding of

Juvenile Delinquency, 1954) Delinquency is ecological

◦ David Bordua (1959) Unattached individuals (ratio)

◦ Roland Chilton (1964) Home ownership

More Recent Research: Cross-Cultural◦ Kirson Weinberg: Ghana◦ Marshall Clinard and Daniel Abbott

Kampala, Uganda (Kiseruji and Namuwongo)

Namuwongo

Travis Hirschi: The Social Bond◦ attachment: the strength of one's ties to others◦ commitment : degree tied to convention

system of rewards◦ involvement:

proportion of time spent in conventional pursuits

◦ Belief Degree of acceptance of conventional norms

Social Reform; Restore Normative Stability◦ The Chicago Area Project◦ Boston: "Total community delinquency control

project"◦ Mixed results◦ Terrence Morris:

The Criminal Area (1966) Inequality

Strengths: ◦ Transcends naive individualistic theories ◦ Deviants are not that different from "normal"

people ◦ Considerable amount of research, empirical

support

Weaknesses:◦ How "disorganization" is defined/ conceptualized

equates different forms of organization with disorganization

◦ Cause and effect Deviance as example/indicator of and caused by soc.

disorganization◦ Ignores "respectable" forms of deviance◦ Ignores inequality