Lesson 2 – CD Functionalism

A2 SOCIOLOGY – CD FUNcTIONALIST PERSPECTIVES OF CRIME

LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE TOPIC  You will be able to ... 1. Identify and define the functionalist perspectives on

crime including the functions of crime, 2. Identify and define the concept of strain and its role in explaining deviance, 3. Identify and define the differences between different strain and subcultural theories, 4. Apply and evaluate the functionalist, strain and subcultural theories of crime and deviance

What do you think ?

How could the functionalist perspectives be applied to crime?

A quick introduction...  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU-nWtmXnKE

What key messages can be identified from the video ?

Durkheim functionalist theory  Functionalism sees society as based on value

consensus thus seeing its members sharing a culture,  Culture can be summarise by a set of values and norms which help create social solidarity thus binding individuals together,  In order to achieve social solidarity 2 processes must occur:  Socialisation,  Social control

Inevitability of crime

What can you make of the title? Justify your answer

Inevitability of crime  Functionalist on one hand see crime as destabilising

to society but for Durkheim (1893) crime was seen as inevitable an integral part of all healthy societies,  Durkheim believed that they were two specific reasons why crime and deviance are found in all societies: 1. Not everyone is equally socialised into the shared

norms and values, 2. The diversity of lifestyles and values in modern and complex societies means different groups might develop their own subcultures with distinctive norms and values

Inevitability of crime  Durkheim believes that in modern societies there is

a general tendency towards anomie or normalness,  Anomie is when the rules governing behaviour become weaker and less clear cut,  Anomie can be explained through the complexity of the division of labour which leads individuals becoming increasingly different from one another,  This diversity means that the shared culture or collective conscience is weakened and this results in higher levels of crime and deviance.

Positive functions of crime

Can you think of any positive functions to crime ?

Boundary maintenance  Crime produces a reaction from society uniting its

members in condemnation of the wrong doer and reinforcing their commitment to the shared norms and values.  i.e. – crackdown on downloading or sexual offences against children,  Durkheim believed that this explains the concept of punishment by reaffirming society’s shared rules and reinforce social solidarity.

Adaptation and change  Durkheim believes that all change starts with an act

of deviance,  Deviance can be seen as a way change existing norms and values which will initially be seen as deviant ,  i.e. - the hippy movement back in the 60s-70s was initially seen as deviant due to their openness to sex, love, and drug taking

Adaptation and change continued ...  Durkheim also believed that neither high nor low

level of crime is desirable as each of those signals a malfunctioning society: 1. Too much will eventually tear the bonds of society

apart (terrorism), 2. Too little means that society is repressing and

controlling its members too much stifling individual freedom and preventing change

Other functions of crime ...  Davis (1961) – argues that prostitution for example acts

as a safety valve for the release of men's frustration,  Polsky (1967) – argues that pornography safely channels a variety of desires away from the alternatives such as adultery,  Cohen (1955) – argues that deviance acts as a warning that an institution is not functioning properly,  Erikson (1966) – believes that the belief that there is a positive function to society means that society is organise in order to accommodate crime and deviance

Have a think ....

How could you criticise the functionalist perspective of crime and deviance?

Criticism  Durkheim fails to offer any way of knowing how

much is the right amount of needed deviance,  Functionalist believe in crime and deviance as having a function it doesn't actually mean that society will create CD in order to strengthen solidarity,  The functionalist fail to look at the way it might affect others

Homework  In preparation for next lesson read the article by

Merton on the Strain Theory and the concept of Anomie.  Make sure you summarise the article by noting

down in a bullet point format the key points of the articles  You must consider the aim of the article, the message that the author is bringing across and the conclusions made by the author

Recipe Time Students have to write a recipe of the lesson (or their learning). Can be a good way to narrativize the lesson and so help recall. Could develop by asking for a dramatic (or genre-specific) recipe of the lesson