01:202:204 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Social Disorganization Theory, Edwin Sutherland, Jeremy Bentham
7 Jul 2020
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Chapter 3: Theories of Crime
Trial by ordeal - ancient custom in which the accused was required to perform a test that
appealed to divine authority to prove guilt or innocence
Classical school of criminology - set of criminological theories that uses the idea of free will to
explain criminal behavior
Utilitarianism - a theory associated Jeremy Bentham that states that people will choose not to
break the law when the pain of punishment outweighs the benefits of the offense
Hedonistic calculus - an individual’s mental calculation of the personal value of an activity by
how much pleasure or pain it will incur
Positivist school of criminology - a set of criminological theories that uses scientific techniques
to study crime and criminal offenders
Atavism - the appearance in a person of physical features thought to be from earlier stages of
human evolution
Somatotyping - the use of body types and physical characteristics to classify human
personalities
Behaviorism - the assessment of human psychology via the examination of objectively
observable and quantifiable actions, as opposed to subjective mental states
Operant conditioning - the alteration of behavior by rewarding or punishing a subject for a
specified action until the subject associates the action with pleasure or pain
Observational learning - the process of learning by watching the behavior of others
Moral development theory - Kohlberg’s theory that human moral development proceeds through
clearly defined stages of moral reasoning
Chicago school - criminological theories that rely, in part, on individuals’ demographics and
geographic location to explain criminal behavior
Social disorganization theory - the theory that the structural and cultural conditions of the
neighborhood affect criminal behavior
Differential association theory - theory developed by Edwin Sutherland that states that crime is
learned
Differential association-reinforcement theory - Akers’ theory that behaviors are conditioned by
environmental feedback and are likely to increase when they are given positive reinforcement or
negative reinforcement
Strain theory - the theory that the causes of crime can be connected to the pressure on
culturally or materially disadvantaged groups or individuals to achieve the goals held by society,
even if the means to those goals require the breaking of laws
Anomie - condition in which a people or society undergoes a breakdown of social norms and
values
Social control theory - theory that does not seek to explain why people break the law, but
instead explores what keeps most people from breaking the law
Neutralization theory - a perspective that states that juvenile delinquents have feelings of guilt
when involved in illegal activities and search for explanations to diminish that guilt
Labeling theory - a perspective that considers recidivism to be a consequence, in part, of the
negative labels applied to offenders
False consciousness - the idea that the attitudes held by the lower class do not accurately
reflect the reality of that class’s existence
Document Summary
Trial by ordeal - ancient custom in which the accused was required to perform a test that appealed to divine authority to prove guilt or innocence. Classical school of criminology - set of criminological theories that uses the idea of free will to explain criminal behavior. Utilitarianism - a theory associated jeremy bentham that states that people will choose not to break the law when the pain of punishment outweighs the benefits of the offense. Hedonistic calculus - an individual"s mental calculation of the personal value of an activity by how much pleasure or pain it will incur. Positivist school of criminology - a set of criminological theories that uses scientific techniques to study crime and criminal offenders. Atavism - the appearance in a person of physical features thought to be from earlier stages of human evolution. Somatotyping - the use of body types and physical characteristics to classify human personalities.
