CCJS 105 Lecture 10: 3-6 Lecture

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Course: CCJS 105
• Professor: Kiminori Nakamura

Document Summary

Under normal conditions, people are naturally inclined to abide by social norms and rules. Anomie is when our desires are not regulated. Normal circumstances are when society defines limits for desires. Society consists of a culture and a social structure. Culture defines goals that are worth striving for, society gives us the goal we should attain. In america: a culturally defined goal is unlimited opportunities, acquire wealth. Social structure side of this says access to means is not equally distributed (poverty) Anomie results from the discrepancy between societal goals and available means. Approved means (values, what we should be taught) lose legitimacy and regulatory power. If you"re born into poverty, you"re more likely to stick. Ses status of family is huge determinant in your life. We tend to put a lot of emphasis on goals and not enough on means. How much money is relative to those in one"s. Popularity with peers, positive relations with your parents.