SOC205H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Anomie, Ritualism In The Church Of England, Social Disorganization Theory
Document Summary
The question assumes that you will be focusing on individual variables. What is it with the individuals makeup that causes them to commit a crime. Emphasis the role played by social structures or social processes. Heavily influences by the chicago school of criminology. Went out and did studies of urban slums and urban locations. These theories also borrowed from evolutionary perspectives, argued that cities have an evolution, they start to devlop in the downtown core and as they start to develop, they move outside of the downtown core. The disjunction between what the culture extols (the american dream) and the means provided by the social structure (limited legitimate opportunities) produces strain and pressure for deviance. Strain that is induced by the structures of society. If there aren"t legitimate dreams then that will produce strain and social pressure for deviance. Merton did not believe inner-city neighborhoods were fully disorganized and inherently criminogenic.
