HNC Sociology

HNC Sociology B: Applying Sociological Theories and Studies

Over time different sociological theorists, with different sociological perspectives, have studied and tried to explain the importance of social control mechanisms, such as the police and the role they play within a society in order to maintain order. They have looked at the criminal and deviant acts within a society and the people committing them in order to explain any trends in such behaviour.

Deviance may be considered as a banned or controlled behaviour which is likely to attract punishment or disapproval. (Downes and Rock, 1988)
Deviant behaviour can be difficult to define. There is a very wide range of behaviours that can be classed as deviant with varying levels of seriousness.

Marxism suggest that class inequality exists, rich and poor, bourgeoisie and proletariat. The bourgeoisie, the upper class have the wealth and power. The bourgeoisie do nothing to fix this class inequality because this power allows them not only to exploit the proletariat but easily maintain social order. Marxist view of crime and deviance puts emphasis on this economic inequality and inequality of power in creating crime and deviance. Marxist view suggests that those in power are the creators of the laws and maintain order and are also the ones to benefit from the laws

This learned behaviour includes techniques of committing crime as well as the drives and motivations for it. He suggests that an individual will become a delinquent if the act of crime becomes more favourable, in that it benefits them more. It is not always a crime being committed due to the need of the individual and may just be greed. Sutherland suggested that middle class and upper class commit crime as often as working class however this can be due to greed, as opposed to the working class who are more likely to be committing crime due to need. Sutherland suggests that a working class individual committing benefit fraud will be punished more harshly than a middle or upper class individual committing tax fraud and this is purely down to the class and power inequality and the law protecting those in the higher classes or