SOC212H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Social Learning Theory, Edwin Sutherland, Differential Association
Lecture 3: Social structural and process theories
Social structural theories
Social disorganization
• Deterioration of ecology of inner city
• Poverty, mobility, social control, resources, education, opportunity
• Groups arise to fill in the niche left open by government
Anomie and Strain
• Goals and means
• Anomie develops as a result between the disjuncture between valued cultural goals and the legitimate
institutionalized means by which a society allows one to achieve those goals
• Structural and cultural contradictions in capitalism promote crime
Merton’s Strain Theory
• Merton (1968) proposed five ways contending with strain in anomic society
- Conformity, Ritualism, Innovation, Retreatism, Rebellion
Adaptations to Strain
• Conformity
- Conformists accept both the cultural goals and the institutionalized means by which to attain them
- Accepts goals/ accepts means
• Ritualism
- Idiiduals ho ofo to soiet’s os ith o epetatio of ahieig its goals
- Reject goals/accept means
• Innovation
- Attaining goals of success through illegitimate means
- Accept goals/ reject means
• Retreatism
- Individuals who, after internalizing cultural goals, find them unobtainable
- Reject goals/ reject means
• Rebellion
- Go against conventional cultural goals that they feel unable to achieve
- New goals/ new means
Social process theories
Edwin Sutherland
• American Sociologist
• 1883-1950
• Differential association theory
• Coined the term white-collar crime
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Social process
• Deviance and criminality is a function of socialization
• Everyone has the potential
• Agents of socialization – family, school, peers and institutional (religion)
• Branches – social learning theory, control theory and labelling theory
Social learning theories
Differential association
• Deviant behavior is learned in association with those who define that behavior as favourable
• Weight of definitions favorable to deviance
• Attitudes and cultural orientations
• Crime
• Components
- Crime is learned in interaction
- Techniques, motives and rationalizations
- See more benefits than unfavorable consequences to violating the law
- Vary in frequency, duration and intensity
- Learning produces illegal behavior
• Research
• Highlights
• Problems
Techniques of neutralization
• Identity neutralization
• Prosocial sense of self
• Reframing of behavior
• Vocabularies of motive
Neutralizations
Denial of
responsibility
• Victims of circumstance
• Beyond their control
• Did’t ko
• Under orders
Denial of the victim
• No real person harmed
• Victim deserved harm
Condemn the
condemner
• Laws are not legitimate
• Government interference
Appeal to higher
loyalties
• Loyalty to organization overrides moral compass
• Pursuit of profit is ethical
Denial of injury
• Harm is minimal
• Government overstates harm to public
Everyone is doing it
• Acceptable practice
• Wrongly scapegoated
Claims of entitlement
• Overworked, underpaid
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Social disorganization: deterioration of ecology of inner city, poverty, mobility, social control, resources, education, opportunity, groups arise to fill in the niche left open by government. Merton"s strain theory: merton (1968) proposed five ways contending with strain in anomic society. Conformists accept both the cultural goals and the institutionalized means by which to attain them. I(cid:374)di(cid:448)iduals (cid:449)ho (cid:272)o(cid:374)fo(cid:396)(cid:373) to so(cid:272)iet(cid:455)"s (cid:374)o(cid:396)(cid:373)s (cid:449)ith (cid:374)o e(cid:454)pe(cid:272)tatio(cid:374) of a(cid:272)hie(cid:448)i(cid:374)g its goals. Attaining goals of success through illegitimate means. Individuals who, after internalizing cultural goals, find them unobtainable. Go against conventional cultural goals that they feel unable to achieve. Edwin sutherland: american sociologist, 1883-1950, differential association theory, coined the term white-collar crime. Social process: deviance and criminality is a function of socialization, everyone has the potential, agents of socialization family, school, peers and institutional (religion, branches social learning theory, control theory and labelling theory.
