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Essay on theories of conflict
Deviant behavior and theory
Characteristic of deviant behaviour
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Essay on theories of conflict
Deviant behavior and theory
Characteristic of deviant behaviour
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Recommended: Essay on theories of conflict
Within the past couple of decades, criminologists have developed different criminological theories that apply to the social behaviors and decisions of criminals. One of the earliest theories developed regarding criminality is the rational choice theory, in which describes the rationalization of determining if the rewards from committing the crime outweigh the consequences. In Scarver’s case, his decision to engage in criminal activities outweighed the potential consequences, or the other alternatives if he did not engage in such criminal activities. In addition to the rational choice theory, Scarver’s criminality can be related to the social disorganization theory, which describes the influence of one’s social and physical environment on one’s decision to commit a crime. Lastly, the strain theory can be related to Scarver’s criminality as well, as it is used to describe an individual who lacks the means to obtain such goals, and aspirations, so therefore, he or she engages in criminal activities to acquire the goals.
Karl Max developed conflict theory that suggests that people are in competition with one another over resources, power, and inequality. The criminal law aspect of the theory can be defined as a theory that assumes that society is based primarily on conflict between competing interest groups and that criminal law and the criminal justice system are used to control subordinate groups (Bohm & Haley, 2009). Examples of the competition between groups can include but not be limited to the rich against the poor, management against labor, whites against minorities, men against women, and adults against children (Bohm & Haley, 2009). Conflict theorists assert that social order is maintained by authority backed by the use of force (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2006). They assert that the privileged classes hold legal power and use the legal system to make others obey their will.
There are two approaches to defining deviance that I believe best explains deviant behavior. Heckert and Heckert 's (article 2) Integrated Typology and Becker’s (article 3) Labeling Theory, to me, make the most sense. Heckert and Heckert (article 2) take an innovated approach to defining deviance by recognizing the many facets that exist within the term. By acknowledging four different types of deviance, Heckert and Heckert (article 2) explain how deviance can present itself in various fashions. Through their use of integrated typology, deviance is defined using four terms: Negative Deviance, Rate Busting, Deviance Admiration, and Positive Deviance.
Founded by Karl Marx, conflict theory conjectures that social order is sustained through wealth and power and constant class conflict (subduing the poor by keeping them away from the limited resources). The resulting conflict and inequalities between the classes result in crime, according to Marx. Social conflict theorists use the criminal justice system to support their argument. The elite class passes laws to benefit themselves (and they are also judged differently, more leniently). OJ Simpson was able to get off for the murder of Nicole Brown (the court said “he didn’t do it,” but he was able to get off because of his wealth and famous lawyers).
The conflict theorist proposed that the rich and powerful create regulations and law enforcements carry out these laws. The concept of the ‘stop snitching’ in our society denote the rich and the powerful. For instance, powerful criminals in some of these communities get away with crimes because they know how to cover their tracks by silencing others by giving them financial assistance. The powerful and visible criminals reward those who keep silent by providing financial assistance to them and promising to protect them in the mere future (Venkatesh, 2000; Wilkinson,
Deviant behavior is essentially anything that conflicts with the social norms that have been already established by a society. Examples of deviant behavior can range from parking in a handicapped spot when you are not handicapped to committing the act of murder. Most deviant behavior is considered to be routine and institutionalized. This type of deviant behavior we have been accustomed to and now have grown to not be as shocked when we hear about it. For instance, if you live in a bigger city such as Atlanta or Nashville, upon reading the newspaper or watching your local news station you may hear of another murder taking place and not even bat an eye.
There are many theories that suggest that crime is constructed socially, or is a product of the society in which the crime is committed. One such theory, proposed by Robert Merton, is known as strain theory. While strain theory is a useful model for explaining how societal values can drive people to commit crimes, it has several flaws and does not focus on how laws are made and how this contributes to the formation of crime. While Merton suggests that laws are created from consensus within a society, it will be argued that strain theory can also support the idea that laws are a “product of conflict” (Hagan 5). Strain theory is founded on the idea that the goals of a society and the accepted means of achieving said goal causes strain that can
Deviance has many functions in society. Although deviance violates social norms, without it, we would not have rules, so it helps form, guide, and shape society’s norms and goals. Social norms are different from culture to culture. Norms that may be acceptable in one culture may be frowned upon in another. Emile Durkheim quotes that “deviance and deviant behavior is an integral part of all healthy societies (Adler, 2014, p74).”
They argue that all people are more satisfied through the life of crime rather than through legal channels. Their way of thinking is that stealing money is easier than working hard for it (“Sociological Theories”). The conflict theory suggests that deviant behaviors are resulted from social, political, and the inequalities of a social group. Some groups would act defiantly in response of the inequalities: order to change the circumstances, change the social structure, or just “act out” against their oppressors (Boundless). The two types of control are direct and internal.
Those in the authority position of society have control over the limited resources for which everyone is in competition. As a result, these power struggles allow for the social order to be governed by the powerful, rather than the consensus. Moreover, the powerful maintain their dominant positon and safeguard their privilege with their abundant resources. Conflict theorists, therefore, believe that theft is due to economic equality and would justify theft since the underprivileged need the limited resources monopolized by the wealthy in order to survive. Additionally, the laws that dictate punishment are created by those in power positions.
Deviant behavior is classified when a person’s behavior is just outside the norm in his or her culture, which could include but
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.
Crime and deviance are a greatly discussed topic in the world of sociology. There are numerous theories of why people break laws and violate social norms. While all of them have a way of explaining the possible reasoning behind it, I think that conflict theory does the best job of helping us understand the concepts of why deviance and crime happen. Their beliefs that the most powerful in our society define what is deviant, the reasons that crime is functional and dysfunctional and its idea of strain theory are the most useful in explaining crime and deviance. Functionalist believe that the most powerful in our society are responsible for defining what is deviant or a crime.
When Auguste Comte coined the term ‘sociology' to refer to a positivistic or scientifically proven approach to study human society and social life, he gave rise to the central idea of the structural functionalist perspective on deviance and conformity (Thompson & Gibbs, 2017). This sociological perspective provides a macro-level analysis that focuses on the structure of society and the roles of social institutions such as government and family, to provide its members with stable patterns of social structures (Goode, 2008). Many people tend to associate negative implications when they come across deviant actions —any behavior such as crime that breaks from commonly accepted norms or expectations— and assume that society would be better off without them. On the contrary, functionalists point out that deviance is a common part of human existence and that some deviance is actually healthy for our society as they can strengthen norms and social unity to name a few (Clinard & Meier,
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. This essay attempts to discover the boundaries between these two and ultimately come to an appropriate conclusion.