The functionalist theory explains crime as a result of the lack of moral regulation within a society which is produced by structural tensions within a society. Durkheim initially introduced a term, “anomie” which described a feeling of disorientation and anxiety as a result of the “breakdown of traditional life in modern society” (Giddens, Duneier, & ...
For a long time, criminologists focused their attention strictly on the role of the criminal. But over the years, it has been discovered that the role of the victim is actually very important as well, as it can influence fate and shape and motivate a criminal. Today, there are a number of theories attempting to ...
Deviance is defined as something that goes against the norm. A norm is defined by a society or group (Erikson, 1966). In today’s society most people want to establish themselves as an individual adult. Our society is divided into several different kinds of subcultures. A subculture is defined as an organization of values and the ...
When American Criminologist Edwin Sutherland first proposed his theory of differential association, his intention was to create a theory that explained why some members of a community become criminals and some do not. Sutherland realized that even though certain crimes are more common in minority communities, not all members of that community are criminals. This ...
Recently, I read an article, Ironies of Social Control: Authorities as Contributors to Deviance Through Escalation, Non-enforcement and Covert Facilitation, Marx, Gary (MIT). There are discussions of many key arguments that are within societies. Sometimes, we do not stop to think about these issues until it is too late and we are sitting in the ...
The Appalachia. A place where children wed as early as twelve to thirteen years of age, domestic violence reigns as a dominant force in households, and everyone relies on government aid in order to survive. While these may seem like deviant traits to us (people living in southern California) these are norms for the people ...
