Michelle PalaroCriminology 81-220-1

Fall 2014

Chapter 6 -Social Structure Theory

• Stratified Society – People grouped according to

economic or social class– Unequal distribution of wealth,

power, and prestige

• Social Class– Segment of population that shares

similarities such as economic level, attitudes, values, norms and lifestyles

Economic Structure

• Problems of the Lower Class– Culture of poverty – Underclass

• Child Poverty • Minority Group Poverty• Poverty and Crime

– Social structure theory – Views disadvantaged economic class

position as a primary cause of crime

Economic Structure

Economic Structure

• The social structure perspective encompasses three independent yet overlapping branches:– Social Disorganization Theory

Institutions of social control have broken down

– Strain Theory Strain

– Cultural Deviance Theory Subculture

Social Structure Theories

• Poverty• Social Disorganization • Breakdown of Traditional Values• Criminal Areas• Cultural Transmission• Criminal Careers

Social Disorganization Theory

• Transitional Neighborhoods– Area undergoing shift in population

and structure

• Concentric Zones• The Legacy of Shaw and McKay

The Work of Shaw and McKay

The Work of Shaw and McKay

• Community Disorder• Community Fear• Siege Mentality • Community Change• Poverty Concentration

The Social Ecology School

• Collective Efficacy (see next slide)

• Informal Social Control• Institutional Social Control• Public Social Control

The Social Ecology School

• Collective Efficacy– High levels of social control– Social integration– Interpersonal ties– Mutual trust– Willingness to intervene– Maintenance of public order

The Social Ecology School

The Social Ecology School

• Poverty • Maintenance of Conventional

Rules and Norms• Strain• Formation of Gangs and Groups• Crime and Delinquency• Criminal Careers

Strain Theories

• Social Adaptations– Conformity – Innovation– Ritualism– Retreatism– Rebellion

• Evaluation of Anomie Theory

Theory of Anomie

• American Dream– Goal– Process– Overvaluation of economic goals

Institutional Anomie Theory

• Envy, mistrust, and aggression resulting from perceptions of economic and social inequality

Relative Deprivation Theory

• Multiple Sources of Strain– Failure to achieve positively valued

goals– Disjunction of expectations and

achievements– Removal of positively valued stimuli– Presentation of negative stimuli

• Consequences of Strain• Coping with Strain• Evaluating GST

General Strain Theory

General Strain Theory

General Strain Theory

• Members of the lower socioeconomic class create an independent subculture with its own set of rules and values

• Subcultural norms often clash with conventional values

Cultural Deviance Theory

• Cultural Transmission• Gang Culture• Focal Concerns

– Trouble– Toughness– Smartness– Excitement – Fate– Autonomy

Theory of Delinquent Subcultures

• Status Frustration• Middle-Class Measuring Rods• Formation of Deviant

Subcultures

Theory of Delinquent Subcultures

• Theory of Differential Opportunity – Criminal gangs– Conflict gangs – Retreatist gangs

Theory of Delinquent Subcultures

• Public Assistance or Welfare • Improving Community-Structure

in High-Crime Areas• Head Start• Legal Services• Community Action Programs

Social Structure Theory and Public Policy