SOC225 Chapter 10: Chapter 10 - Strain Theories
13 Sep 2015
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Consensus perspective/ functionalism: societies have a tendency to maintain a state of relative equilibrium through principle institutions (ex. family, education, government) Majority of society have similar values about what is right and wrong morality is universal (ex. consensus on murder, robbing someone) Customs persists and law represents societal values. Crime occurs when something unusual happens to an institution leads to strain and stress. Conflict perspective: focus on inherent division of societies based on social inequalities and how these give rise to competing interests (ex. Societal structure, cultural interests, and criminal law only reflect interests of some people in society. Most powerful people"s values and concerns are represented in the justice system. Strain theory: proposition that people feel strain when they are exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain because they can"t access culturally approved means of achieving these goal. Wrote division of labor in society social norms are essential to human societies.
