Unit 6

 Webliography  KU Writing Center  Communication › Tel: › via course Questions/ Comments/Concerns

 This seminar will address the various causes of strain and anomie, and will describe the types of crimes explained by this theoretical approach.

 We will also discuss how middle and upper class crimes can possibly apply to these theories as well.

 Social disorganization theory  Strain theory  Cultural deviance theory

 Branch of social structure theory that sees crime as a function of the conflict between people’s goals and the means available to obtain these goals

 Failure to achieve positively valued goals  Disjunction of expectations and achievements

 Removal of positively valued stimuli  Presentation of negative stimuli

 Anomie theory  Institutional anomie theory  Relative deprivation theory  General strain theory

 People who adopt the goals of society but lack the means to attain them seek alternatives such as crime  Points out how competition for success creates conflict and crime

 Suggests that social conditions, not personality, can account for crime  Explains high lower class crime rates

 Material goods pervade all aspects of American life  Explains why crime rates are so high in American culture

 Crime occurs when the wealthy and poor live close to one another  Explains high crime rates in deteriorated inner-city areas located near more affluent neighborhoods

 Strain has a variety of sources and causes crime in the absence of adequate coping mechanisms  Identifies the complexities of strain in modern society  Expands on anomie theory

 Shows the influence of social events on behavior over the life course  Explains middle-class crimes

 “The Departed” 

 Any questions/comments/concerns?

 This seminar will address the role of socialization in crime causation.  We will elaborate why many children are influenced by their social environment to commit crimes, which often lead them to continue their behavior into adolescence.

 Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2008). Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach, Eighth Edition. Prentice Hall.  O'Connor, T. (2010, January 18). Criminology Mega Site. Retrieved April 2010, from MegaLinks in Criminal Justice:  Schmalleger, F. (2010). Criminology: A Brief Introduction. Prentice Hall.  Siegel, L. (2007). Criminology: The Core, 3rd Edition. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.