SOC 2700 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Social Psychology, Process Theory

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2700
• Professor: Stephanie Howells

Document Summary

Theories are explanations for how the world works. Common explanations of crime: its the parents, wrong side of the tracks, genes, everyone saw this coming, we"ve got to stop coddling them, peer e ect. Social psychological- behaviour, self and cognitive variables in a group context. Micro- individuals or small groups example: between siblings or peer group (not to broader theories, individual or small group experiences) Meso(ridging theories)-social structures and individuals(how the macro in uences micro) Macro- social structures example: rates of crime, poverty rates, neighbourhood. Positivist theory: scienti c methods, treatment and prevention of crime not punishment, nature of o ender is important instead of criminal act (o ender not the crime, behaviour determined by factors outside control. Con ict theory: disagreement, con icting values, power/inequality, rebellion attempt to overthrow power, power imbalance- the powerful make laws to bene t themselves, could be money, gender, work.