Those who take the least privileged positions in society are, Strengths and weaknesses of the Marxist theory of crime, The Marxist theory of crime has the benefit of a. Created by: Emily Created on: 01-04-13 21:47 Sociology Crime and deviance A2/A-level AQA Sign up to Comment More specifically, societys laws tend to enhance the occurrence of trade, industry growth, and private ownership. Postmodernists argue society is so diverse, there is no such thing as normal. While theft is a common crime with the aim of financial gain, some more obscure crimes committed by the wealthy obtain similar results. True or false? The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The Strengths and Weaknesses of Symbolic Interactionism Symbolic interactionism plays a major part in the way that the society interacts with one another. Posted on . Conflict theory also has three major weaknesses. - Implies that without labelling, deviance wouldn't exist. Marxists believe that the capitalist economic system is criminogenic. In effect, the courts and the media are broadcasting the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, warning others not to breach the walls of the law (and therefore society). This is further identified a weakness by the conflict perspective. Symbolic interaction has various strengths and weaknesses as a sociological perspective. Neo-Marxists argue that traditional Marxist criminology is far too deterministic. Strain theory was pioneered by Robert Merton (1949). Another related Functionalist who theorised about crime was Robert Merton who developed the Strain Theory of Crime. Parsons claims inorder for society to work, all individuals must be taught/socialised to accept non-deviant values, and to abide by rules/the law. It provides a very harmonious view of society and the family. Theres no objective way of knowing how much crime is beneficial to society, or how much is excessive and has the potential to lead to a dysfunctional society. Functionalism provides a substantial argument against the classical theory because it attacks the premise that crime is due to irrational actions and is a detriment to society. Explains non-utilitarian crimes, which both Durkheim and Mertons explanations lack. of the users don't pass the Functionalist Theories of Crime quiz! Radical criminology examines how the state labels certain actions as criminal, as a result of which certain demographics (namely the disadvantaged), are more likely to be labelled as criminal as well. Marxists believe that capitalism causes crime. 2. Haralambos and Holborn: sociology themes and perspectives, edition 8. https://revisesociology.com/2016/04/16/mertons-strain-theory-deviance/. Functionalist Theories of Crime: Explanation. This essay will go on to show the origins of labelling theory, the theory itself and will show its strengths and weaknesses using various case-studies and examples. Lastly, we will also take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of functionalist theories of crime. Trade unions are worker associations, formed to protect workers' rights in particular trades or professions. Besides highlighting its inevitability, Durkheim said that this limited amount of crime is also beneficial for the creation of a healthy society due to the positive functions that it serves for society as a whole. Radical criminology takes on both micro and macro evaluations, emphasising the importance of studying the state-level management of the criminogenic capitalist society and lower-level interactions between, for example, the police and deviants. Corporate crimes tend to be more leniently dealt with (if theyre ever prosecuted at all), while financial crimes committed by the poor are almost always pursued by law enforcement. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Functionalist View on Society Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the functionalist view on society. As you're aware, the theory has some clear strengths and weaknesses: ' The idea that sociologists can both demonstrate and explain how and why different individuals with different positions in the social structure are However, Marxist and Feminist analysis of crime demonstrates that not all criminals are punished equally and thus crime and punishment benefit the powerful for than the powerless. The law is designed and enforced to protect the ruling class's interests. This is because it does not take into account the essential greediness and selfishness of the human being. The functionalist view on crime explains the existence of crime as being the result of the structure of society (rather than as a result of individuals themselves). 1. It could be that some crimes may be so harmful that they will always be, Secondly, Durkheim is suggesting that the criminal justice system benefits everyone in society by punishing criminals and reinforcing the acceptable boundaries of behaviour. Cloward and Ohlin address and explain the existence of different types of working-class subcultures, while Hirschis theory of social bonds suggests that people are less likely to commit crime because they dont want to risk upsetting other members and institutions of society. This is called selective enforcement. It seeks to explain crime by looking at the nature of society, rather than at individuals. Marxism is based on the notion of economic determinism - economic relationships are at the heart of all interactions within a society. An explanation is deterministic when it assumes that people have no control when it comes to their own behaviour. These responses depend on how and where delinquents grow up, simply because different places have different opportunities which might allow (or even encourage) different forms of deviance. The major weakness of Marxism is that it does not seem to work in the real world. Durkheim and other functionalists explain crime in terms of its function (e. in order to strengthen solidarity). This can look like working hard, getting a promotion, and becoming successful in the 'traditional' way. The Functionalist analysis of crime starts with society as a whole. Marxists argue that the law is designed to benefit the bourgeoisie (ruling capitalist class), as law enforcement agencies reflect and protect its interests. Movements such as the Hippie movement prove otherwise, Both Merton and Durkheim are too deterministic in saying people are controlled by society, as other sociologists argue we all have free-will. Interactionists take the approach that crime and deviance is a social construction. As with all theories, we will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the Marxist theory of crime. Corporate crimes tend to be more leniently dealt with (if theyre ever prosecuted at all), while financial crimes committed by the poor are almost always pursued by law enforcement. Functionalism, as one of the key perspectives in sociology, allows us to reconsider whether the structures of society are working for everyone. It also claims that deviance serves a beneficial function to society as a whole. 3. The strengths and weaknesses of this philosophy show some sets of benefits and drawbacks, creating a system of government that is prone to abuse, that is why Marx to fix its flaws. For the final response paper, I will share what I learned about four specific criminological theories. Durkheim urged his readers to imagine a society without crime. In short, many wealthy people like politicians, celebrities, and businesspeople were storing their money in offshore accounts. Anomie is the state of lawlessness which occurs when people no longer feel integrated into the system of norms and values of their society. Explain a key limitation of Cloward and Ohlin's (1961) Opportunity Structure theory. The weaknesses of functionalist theory is that it tends to lead to exaggerated accounts of positive consequences of sports and sports participation however it mistakenly assumes that there are no conflicts of interests between the different citizen groups in society such as women, people with disabilities, racial Sociological theories are very useful in the study of criminal behavior because unlike psychological and biological theories they are mostly macro level theories which attempt to explain rates of crime for a group or an area rather, criminal behavior theories that attempt to . It doesnt acknowledge the power structures which benefit from punishing vulnerable populations (such as the working class). Social integration refers to the cohesion that members of society experience when they share a collective expectation of the norms and values within their community. Some primary ideas of the Marxist approach to criminology include the following: Capitalism is inherently criminogenic - it creates an environment that both encourages crime and makes it easier to commit. Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen. Merton identified five potential responses to strain. Create and find flashcards in record time. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Functionalism Society is made up of 'building blocks' - living organism. In contemporary society newspapers also help to perform the publicity function, with their often-lurid accounts of criminal acts. By far one of the greatest strengths of psychoanalysis is that it is a very comprehensive theory. The approach is too optimistic as it looks at family as always happy and harmonious. Crime performs the function of social regulation by reaffirming the boundaries of acceptable behaviour. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. outline of the theory in the Channel's "Theories of Deviance: Part 1" chapter (page 6). Symbiotic Interactionism is one of the sociological theories which focus on the relationships and individual perspectives of people. Something is criminogenic when it is believed to be the root of criminal or deviant behaviour. Weaknesses: 1) However, a reanalysis of self-reported delinquency data from the Richmond Youth Survey indicates that social control theory has only limited explanatory power (Greenberg, n.d.). The capitalist society glorifies the maximisation of profits and ownership and therefore encourages the pursuit of individual successes over collective wellbeing. Instead, they see society as a system of interdependent structures which shape human behaviour. Durkheim went a step further and argued that a certain amount of crime was functional for society. Sign up to highlight and take notes. Hirschi acknowledges the role of peoples commitments to their community, their beliefs, and to wider society in encouraging them to abide by set norms and laws. Its important to note that Bonger didnt believe egoism to be directly responsible for creating the criminal. refers to the idea that societys most significant relationships are those which are based on economic factors (such as a relationship between an employer and an employee). An example would be the Black Lives Matter movement. This theory. Functionalism is useful in showing which deviance is integral to society; It provides an important and interesting analysis that shows that crime can actually have hidden functions for society; Therefore suggesting that not everything is bad in society is bad for society; Disadvantages It stresses only on the nuclear family and ignores other family structures. 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