Social Structure Theory

Criticism of Merton’s Strain Theory One critique of the strain theory is how it overemphasis the position of the social class in regards to crime and deviance. As we know, the strain theory applies mainly to the American lower class as they struggle the most. Our lower class are faced with the lack of resources to help them reconcile their goals. However, by looking at the variation of deviant and criminal behavior, the strain theory does not adequately account for any type of crimes besides the normal street or neighborhood crimes. Additionally, crimes that are considered as being white collar, in which they are known in our middle and upper-classes.

Ray Bradbury shows how societies are vulnerable to control; (The high suicide rate of Fahrenheit 451 is the consequence of excessive amounts of social integration and regulation(saman’s version ) therefore, society needs to restrict the amount of control enforced upon them to maintain social structure and human

ESSAY 2 During the Colonial period it was believed that crime was a sinful act that occurred because of the combination of inherent human weakness and the strong influences of the devil. Thus, the church was a key player in determining the rigid standards of crime and punishment in society with the goal of keeping social order for the survival of the colony. Punishments were severe and public to amplify deterrence, including banishment for minor crimes such as heresy and death for being an unruly child. Similarly, during the Jacksonian period crime was viewed as a somewhat contagious “moral disease” that needed to be both cured through hard labor and contained through isolation to avoid the corruption of others. This increased reliance on

The public servant view of policing described by Pollack (2017) as the “presumptions are different and include the idea that criminals are not so different from us and, in fact, may be our sons and daughters” (p. 116). This approach creates more of a protector for all people mindset with limited use of force and more fair treatment when working the beat.

To compare and contrast the three social theorist there are some similarities among them all. Marx would blame capitalism for homelessness, believing the working class is being exploited by the rich and Du Bois would blame capitalism and racism, believing the social construction of race plays a major role in who’s homeless. Foucault would view power and it’s abuse money and knowledge are viewed as power. All three-favor socialism, all three

Each individual differs from another, yet human beings have manufactured the idea of race and separate sub-cultures in order to create a system that benefits the construction of explanations for numerous social anomalies. Although, each person has a particular set of ideals, morals, and experiences, the desire to create a profile for the abundance of criminal activity has allowed a group of elites to create the concept of sub-cultures that endorse violence. As a result certain ethnical groups are portrayed as being marked by a sub-culture of anarchy and poverty. Robert D. Crutchfield, a professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Washington, explores the manifestation and the philosophy that is incorporated in order to justify why certain races are believed to harbor pro-crime norms and values.

Amongst other notions, such as habitus, field and symbolic violence, Bourdieu developed the theory of capital, which he divided into four forms of capital, cultural, economic, social and symbolic (Wacquant 2007, 268) in order to explain the “realities of social inequality” (Gauntlett 2011). Regarding the notion of cultural capital, which to some extent is based on Karl Marx’s capitalistic approach when describing class struggle, Bourdieu mentions the “scarce symbolic goods, skills and titles” (L. Wacquant 2007, 268) that a part of society possesses. In fact, the elite detains cultural knowledge that they use in order to maintain their status in society, and keep their position above the working-class. Bourdieu also emphasizes how this scheme is reproduced within education, and thereby how social hierarchy not only occurs, but is also conserved (ibid, 262). Indeed, Bourdieu assesses that the educational system replicates the social inequalities that rely within society, which undeniably favors students from upper-class families.

Based on the Social Darwinism, it argued that only the fittest in human political and economic struggle. This theory were placed and applied in the society. If people were poor or struggle it was their fault. They were viewed negatively by American and were assumed that they were lazy and tend to be inferior because of their character. Riis advocate for tenement housing reform and the slums were problem Riss seek to solve.

It is considered here the unbalanced power, occupation, race, teaching in schools, etc. In this topic, I will more likely emphasize the social classes which causes inequality to the society and poverty. Social classes are set or groups of people in the society in which category they belong such as upper class, middle class and lower class. What made social inequality exist? One reason is the poverty that comprises of the lower class.

This may be because of intimidation, blackmail or embarrassment among many reasons. As far as crime is concerned, it is defined by the law. Deviance is unexpected behaviour, but not exactly considered criminal. Many consider crime as a social problem – a problem as defined by society, such as homelessness, drug abuse, etc. Others would say crime is a sociological problem – something defined as a problem by sociologists and should be dealt with accordingly by sociologists.