SOCY 275 Chapter Notes -Social Control Theory, Differential Association, Social Forces
11 Dec 2014
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Two positive reactions: subcultural theory and social control theory. Subcultural theory and social control theory each borrowed from anomie/strain and differential association theories. Both identified weaknesses and contradictions in those traditional approaches, but they nevertheless accepted foundational assumptions inherent in bothmost importantly, the underlying principle that the study of deviance should identify characteristics of an offender and explain who becomes deviant. However, each approach depended on different strategies to predict who would become deviant. The influence of subcultural and social control theories is seen in literally thousands of research articles and studies looking at deviance; this unit focuses selectively on the seminal ideas within those examples. The unit provides an overview of many complex ideas with readings to introduce the basic arguments and themes that dominated the study of deviance between 1960 and 1980. Social control theory began with the premise that asking a different question would produce a more complete understanding.
