Sociological Theory

588 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Micro and macro sociology

Macrosociological Theory is the analysis of the organization and structure of society and its ability to create an environment that is conducive to criminal activity. In other words, “Is the whole of society interrelated or interdependent, if so, how does it affect crime?” or “Does society influence crime?”
Microsociological Theory is the analysis of smaller portions of society (schools, family, and religion for example) and their correlation to the encouragement or ability to inhibit criminal behavior (Bohm & Vogel, 2010). The micro level examines group dynamics and the influence each member has on each other, as well as the environment on the individual (Cole, 2016). A common theme in the micro level is that criminal behavior is learned, …show more content…

Our text cites the work of Robert Merton and the achievement of the American Dream and that it can cross all sections of society. It is used in the context that failure to achieve the dream (in the beholders eyes) can lead to the commission of crime (Macro level). However, in the same vein, our text cites the work of Sykes and Matza and their 5 techniques of neutralization: 1) denial of responsibility, 2) denial of injury, 3) denial of victim, 4) condemnation of condemners, 5) appeal to higher loyalties, (all part of the micro level) (Bohm & Vogel, 2010). I point these out because I see them as variations of the same thing, but at different levels. At the macro level, failure to achieve the American Dream and crime to get it is based on the similar thought processes of the micro level - denial of victim and injury in that nobody got hurt and everyone is doing it – only at different levels. The micro level may not necessarily be achieving the American Dream, but the basic underlying premise of taking something that is not theirs for personal gain is the same. Though Sykes and Matza’s theory is applied to reducing guilty by the offender, the end game appears to be the same – personal

Show More
Related

  • Three Sociological Perspectives

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this paper will be talking about the three sociological perspectives as it pertains to the fraternities and sororities in today’s world. I have chosen this topic because it can be easily understood in all three perspectives.

    Read More

  • sociology

    1877 Words  | 4 Pages

    This essay will be explaining the definition of sociology, the sociological factors of obesity using Symbolic Interactionism Theory and the Functionalism Theory and a description of the medical condition obesity and how it may affect individuals suffering from it.

    Read More

  • Microsociaological And Macrosocological Case Study

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    The world is comprised of all different kinds of neighborhoods and ethnicities; therefore, one cannot focus on one person alone (Brown, 2017). The macrosociological concept inspects a civilization’s arrangement which produces the environment that is beneficial to corruption (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). As stated by Bohm & Vogel (2011), “Macro-level analyses explore the effect of factors such as poverty rates, neighborhood characteristics, population density, and family disruption on rates of crime in a geographical unit like a city or region” (p. 73). When looking at macrosociology, it is though one is looking at a wide view of the whole population; however, it can be a vast ration within the inhabitants. It is as if one is looking through a telescope. One might question as to what is there to find in these big areas. The answer would be that there are shapes and sizes within these developments. The being of smaller societies and individuals themselves are doing what they can to locate the conclusions when one views earth as an entire image (Brown, 2017). According to Brown (2017), “Macrosociology deals with matters like war, poverty, health care

    Read More

  • Sociological Theories

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the sociological theories is conflict theory. The conflict theory deals with people's level on wealth, or class. The conflict theory says that social change is beneficial, contrary to focuses on social order. In the story of the woman and her children, the conflict theory plays a big role on the situation. Police of higher class are threatening the homeless woman. The conflict theory is a constant struggle of people of higher class over powering people of lower class, or the weaker. The police are trying to over power the woman by telling her to leave. Even though the woman and her children were doing nothing wrong, the police used their power to tell her to leave. Also the people of the area showed their conflict theory by telling the police officers to come. They must have felt embarrassed to have a woman of such lower class to be around them. They used their power of class to have the woman removed from their community. The woman wants to be there because she has no home and it is a good community to be in, but the people look at it as an embarrassment to them because it makes their area look bad for someone of such lower class to be around them. The conflict theory is unique to all other theories because it separates people into categories determined by their wealth and standards. Their status is the element that categorizes them, weather it is class, race, or gender. The conflict theory do not always use class, race, and gender all at once. In this situation race and gender is not a main issue, although gender could be a reason, but it would fall under the feminist theory. This story is mainly dealing with class. Through all this conflict the woman feels over powered and domina...

    Read More

  • Theories Explaining Juvenile Crime

    1605 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many theories, at both the macro and micro level, have been proposed to explain juvenile crime. Some prominent theories include Social Disorganization theory, Differential Social Organization theory, Social Control theory, and Differential Association theory. When determining which theories are more valid, the question must be explored whether people deviate because of what they learn or from how they are controlled? Mercer L. Sullivan’s book, “Getting Paid” Youth Crime and Work in the Inner City clearly suggests that the learning theories both at the macro level, Differential social organization, and micro level, Differential association theory, are the more accurate of the two types of theory.

    Read More

  • Theory of the Broken Window

    1610 Words  | 4 Pages

    This theory however as some have argued has emerged from social disorganisation theory, which sees the causes of crime as a matter of macro level disadvantage. Macro level disadvantage are the following: low socioeconomic status, ethnic or racial heterogeneity, these things they believe are the reasons for crime due to the knock on effect these factors have on the community network and schools. Consequently, if th...

    Read More

  • Three Sociological Perspectives

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper discusses three approaches that can be taken when studying Sociology. There are many subjects to be studied and discussed in the field of Sociology, and the approach chosen to study a particular subject is called a perspective. There are three different perspectives, and they are functionalist, conflict, and interactionist perspectives. This paper compares and contrasts these different perspectives with one another.

    Read More

  • Conflict and Critical, Rational Choice Theories

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rational Choice Theory is the belief that man is a reasonable actor who decides means and ends, costs and benefits, and makes rational choices. Routine activity theory provides a simple and powerful insight into the causes of crime problems. At its heart is the idea that in the absence of effective controls, offenders will prey upon attractive targets. Social Control Theory gives an explanation for how behavior conforms to that which is generally expected in society. Social disorganization theory explains the ecological differences in levels of crime based on structural and cultural factors shaping the nature of the social order across communities. This approach alters the sociological studies on which is any of two or more random variables exhibiting correlated variation of urban growth to examine the concentration and stability of rates of criminal behavior. Strain Theory. Conflict theory explains the belief that individuals choose to commit a crime, which many po...

    Read More

  • Major Sociological Theories

    1707 Words  | 4 Pages

    1 Most sociologists interpret social life from one of three major theoretical frameworks or theories: symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, or conflict theory. Describe the major points and key concepts of each framework. List at least one sociologist who is identified with each of these three frameworks.

    Read More

  • American Terrorist Timothy Mcveigh Analysis

    2420 Words  | 5 Pages

    As a social process theory, drift and Neutralization sees a crime to be a part of wider social interactions. It views social order as non objective and non consensual and posits that there is not a single fundamental social goal that is held by all social groups; rather there are many different overlapping social values within a society, both conventional and delinquent: legitimate and illegitimate. Drift and Neutralization Theory posits that individuals learn values and delinquent behaviours through their exposure to sub-cultural values. “Deviant or delinquent (or criminal) subcultures do not reject ‘dominant’ values and beliefs. Instead, there is tension between inclinations to adhere to mainstream values and beliefs.” This sees that criminals can drift between deviant and conventional behaviours and how to use various techniques of neutralisation to rationalise their criminal activity. In analysing McVeigh’s motives, his learned sub cultural values can be examined to demonstrate how he was able to rationalise his violations of the law and how he came to drift from non delinquent to delinquent actions. The techniques of neutralisation; denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of

    Read More

  • Edwin Sutherland's Differential Association Theory Of Criminal Behavior

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    First and foremost, the theory states that criminal behavior is learned, meaning that the behaviors of an individual are influenced and shaped by those they associate with (Clinard & Meier, 2015). The primary reference point here is the nuclear family. Parents teach their children how to walk and talk, who grow up with siblings or in some cases, elderly relatives. With good reason, it is widely held that these interactions create the foundation of the individual’s conception of societal norms and values. That being said, if the individual is capable of assessing proper behavior in society, they are also capable of learning what is considered

    Read More

  • Akers' Social Learning Theory

    2220 Words  | 5 Pages

    High crime rates are an ongoing issue through the United States, however the motivation and the cause of crime has yet to be entirely identified. Ronald Akers would say that criminality is a behavior that is learned based on what an individual sees and observes others doing. When an individual commits a crime, he or she is acting on impulse based on actions that they have seen others engage in. Initially during childhood, individuals learn actions and behavior by watching and listening to others, and out of impulse they mimic the behavior that is observed. Theorist Ronald Akers extended Sutherland’s differential association theory with a modern viewpoint known as the social learning theory. The social learning theory states that individuals commit crime through their association with or exposure to others. According to Akers, people learn how to be offenders based on their observations around them and their association with peers. Theorist Akers states that for one, “people can become involved in crime through imitation—that is by modeling criminal conduct. Second, and most significant, Akers contended that definition and imitation are most instrumental in determining initial forays into crime” (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball 2011:57). Although Akers’ theory has been linked to juvenile delinquency in the past, it has also been tested as a possible cause of crime overall. Individuals learn from observation that criminal behavior is justifiable in certain circumstances. In connection with juvenile delinquency and crime, peers and intimate groups have the most effect on individuals when associated with criminal behavior. One is more likely to mimic the behavior of someone who they have close ties with, whether the behavior is justifiable or...

    Read More

  • Shafia Case Study

    1531 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sykes and Matza’s neutralization theory is a type of control theory that explains how one’s inner containments diminish and results in them committing a crime (Broll 2017). The two men developed five techniques of neutralization, but this case exhibits the characteristics of a technique called the denial of the victim. The denial of the victim occurs when offenders argue that the victims are deserving of what happened to them (Broll

    Read More

  • Hirschi’s Social Bonding Theory

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    In criminology, researchers have constantly tried to explain why people commit crime and engage in juvenile delinquency. Many theories have emerged for over a century about why people commit these deviant behaviors. Macro-level theories focus on social structures and the effects of those structures on the human behavior. Basically, macro-level theories explains aggregate crime. Micro-level theories focuses on individuals and their interactions with various groups of people. For example, the relationship between family members, friends, and groups, that individuals interact with every-day, which explains individual criminal behavior. These interactions affect their attitudes, beliefs, and what seems normal for people. One of the most interesting theories that that tries to explain this, is Hirschi’s social bonding theory, which is based on how crime is the result of weakened bonds to society and is considered a micro-level theory.

    Read More

  • The Causes of Criminal Behavior

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Different schools of thought propose varying theoretical models of criminality. It is agreeable that criminal behaviour is deep rooted in societies and screams for attention. Biological, Social ecological and psychological model theories are key to helping researchers gain deeper comprehension of criminal behaviour and ways to avert them before they become a menace to society. All these theories put forward a multitude of factors on the outlooks on crime. All these theories have valid relevancy to continuous research on criminal behaviour.

    Read More

More about Sociological Theory

Open Document