SOCPSY 2D03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Social Disorganization Theory, Class Stratification, Anomie

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Social Psychology
• Course: SOCPSY 2D03
• Professor: Luca Berardi

Document Summary

Unemployment and crime: evidence is mixed , structural level doesn"t mean that there will be a high crime rate, unemployment doesn"t = crime (correlation doesn"t = causation, weak link between economic conditions and crime rates. Branches of social structure theory: social structure theories focus on the effects of class stratification in society and its impact on crime, three branches , 1. Social disorganization theory: focus is on neighborhoods marked by cultural conflict, lack of cohesion, and transiency (ecological characteristics: concentric zones theory, social ecology theory, 2. Strain theory: focus is on conflict caused by anomie and the barriers in reaching goals through legitimate means (wants and desires don"t match up: anomie theory. Institutional anomie theory: general strain theory, 3. Cultural deviance theory: criminal behaviour is in conformity to lower-class subcultural values (feel strain due to living in lower class areas) Social disorganization and strain cultural deviance crime.