SOC 222 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Labeling Theory, Pirus, Youth Time
24 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Cloward and Ohlin differential opportunity theory
(neighborhood conditions)
“Because you might wish to gain money via illegitimate means doesn’t mean you will
have the skills and connections to do so”
- We need to understand NOT just the motives for people to commit crime (strain
to achieve aspirations) but also the availability of opportunities to learn about and
participate in illegal or deviant acts (means to achieve aspirations)
- Poor neighborhoods are more deviant
- Criminal subcultures (people learn from the older)
- Conflict subcultures (caotic, violence, rural, amateaur, indivisualistic)
- Retreatist subcultures (use others for crime, have to do it to lie)
Agnew’s General Strain Theory
- Groups and people have experiences that pressure them into crime
Strain from negative relationships
- Prevent or threaten to prevent achievement of valued goals
- Remove or threaten to remove a positive stimuli (not being on a team if you do
any deviance
- Present or threaten to present negative stimuli
History (social context) → biography
EXAMPLE : Tukee - socioeconomic status - race
Social context : social class, geographic location, culture, social institution, time period
Race→ social hierarchies → ranking people
Theory application
WHY?
Family - father left
Agnew → removing positive stimuli (presence of mentor)
Time - crack era
Education - dropped out of high school
- Innovator : internalized cultural goal
- Drug dealing
- Robbery
- Torture
Location - South Bronx → jobs 1947-76
Differential opportunity
- Access to resources, knowledge, connections
Criminal subculture
- gangs live where there are urban areas
Document Summary
Cloward and ohlin differential opportunity theory (neighborhood conditions) Because you might wish to gain money via illegitimate means doesn"t mean you will have the skills and connections to do so . We need to understand not just the motives for people to commit crime (strain to achieve aspirations) but also the availability of opportunities to learn about and participate in illegal or deviant acts (means to achieve aspirations) Criminal subcultures (people learn from the older) Conflict subcultures (caotic, violence, rural, amateaur, indivisualistic) Retreatist subcultures (use others for crime, have to do it to lie) Groups and people have experiences that pressure them into crime. Prevent or threaten to prevent achievement of valued goals. Remove or threaten to remove a positive stimuli (not being on a team if you do any deviance. Present or threaten to present negative stimuli. Example : tukee - socioeconomic status - race. Social context : social class, geographic location, culture, social institution, time period.
