Anomie Theory - Advanced Criminology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Criminology

Download Anomie Theory - Advanced Criminology - Lecture Slides and more Slides Criminology in PDF only on Docsity! Strain Theory docsity.com What do you do when bad things happen? • Peer insults you for wearing cheap clothes • A parent abuses you physically • You fail a test you studied for • Your partner dumps you • Your dad dies suddenly • Your parents get a divorce docsity.com The American Dream • Goals • Means docsity.com Merton’s (1938) Strain Theory: A Critique of U.S. Society • Tension between success goals and available means – We all want wealth, but our ability to achieve it varies by social class • The goal of success reins supreme – Relatively few moral costs for rule breaking docsity.com A Theory of Deviant Motivation • We are all naturally law-abiding, if given the chance • We break rules when we experience strain • Strain originates in our social experience docsity.com Albert K. Cohen (1955) Oppositional Subculture • Explain non-utilitarian delinquency – Lower class youth fail to achieve middle class standards (the “middle class measuring rod”) • Status problem solved within the gang – Status redefined in opposition to middle class standards (not completely separate) – Reaction formation – reject what you want but can’t have – middle class values upside down docsity.com Why does strain cause crime? • Strain causes negative emotions – Anger, frustration, depression, anxiety • Negative emotions create a pressure for corrective action that motivates crime – Immediate situation – Long-term cumulative effects docsity.com Messner and Rosenfeld (1994) Institutional Anomie Theory • The American Dream causes crime – Overemphasizes competition and success – Underemphasizes responsibility to others • Institutional balance of power – Relations of mutual dependence between economy, family, education, religion • Institutional anomie – The economy has supplanted the family, education, and religion as the dominant institution (and source of values) docsity.com