SOC 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Thomas Theorem, Manifest And Latent Functions And Dysfunctions
Document Summary
Although beginning in 1991 the fbi reported declines in violent crime each year for a decade, the number of crime stories on news broadcasts increased dramatically during that period, especially during the first half of the 1990s. At the same time, there has been a considerable increase in the degree to which american citizens fear violent crime. Croteau and hoynes thereby remind us of the lesson of the thomas theorem: If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences . Unlike the institutions of family and school, which are formally charged with the task of socialization, the manifest function of peer groups is simply to have fun. Nonetheless, the latent function of peer groups is to act as a socializing agent. For the adolescent, the influence of the peer group can loom very large. Often peer groups grow into fairly elaborate subcultures, as kids develop their own peculiar values, norms, language, and use of symbols.
