This document summarizes Robert Merton's strain theory of anomie and its application to crime in the United States by Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld. It discusses how the American Dream's emphasis on material success can cause strain when there is inequality in the means to achieve that success legally, leading some to turn to crime. Messner and Rosenfeld argue this makes crime inherently part of American capitalist society. The summary concludes their theory effectively explains most crime but not crimes of passion or mental illness.
Chapter 4Social Structure and Process TheoriesSocialWilheminaRossi174
Chapter 4
Social Structure and Process Theories
Social Factors
All Social Delinquency theories are based on the belief that crime is caused by a person’s interaction with conflicts in society. What can cause conflict?
Poor relations with school, family and the government
Poor Community conditions
Exposure to Violence
Social Change (divorce, immigration, religion)
Poverty and perceived economic disparity
Racial Inequality
Two Classes
The concept of social conflict has been developed into two distinct theories of juvenile delinquency. They are:
Social Structure Theories
Delinquency is caused by a person’s place in the
economic structure of society.
Social Process Theories
Delinquency is caused by a person’s interaction with corrupt or
disturbed members of society
Social Structure
All Social Structure Theories are based on the concept that modern capitalist society is divided (stratified) based on economic levels
Crime is most likely to form in the underclasses of society, where a culture of poverty changes the civic values and ethics of children, from generation to generation.
As children are more formative and fragile, they are more prone to the negative effects of poverty.
Racial inequality also fuels the cycle of poverty, as certain classes in society have less opportunities.
The Three forms of Structure
1) Social Disorganization
Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay first developed the social disorganization theory. The premise of this theory is that the breakdown of the sense of community creates social unrest. The connection of a person to their community is the single greatest deterrent to criminal behavior.
People are less likely to participate in crime, if there is a social stigma or shame, to being identified as a criminal against the community.
Modern Disorganization
Shaw and McKay based their theories on the concept that as a city expanded, neighborhoods would break down, and the city as a whole would lose it’s sense of continuity.
As American society has become more mobile and transient, cities have radically changed. The modern Disorganization Theory is Social Ecological Theory.
Social Ecology
Social Ecology states that criminal behavior is directly linked to breakdowns in a community structure. These breakdowns come from:
Seeing physically abandoned buildings and decay
Poverty
Fear of crime or corrupt law enforcement
Siege Mentality
Loss of a community identity (race, religion, ethnicity)
Loss of social controls (family, peers, mentors, role models)
A Strain on us all
2) Strain Theory
Strain Theory holds that while most people have the same goals and desires out of life, the feeling of being locked out, or not having the opportunity to achieve those same goals, is the impetus for criminal behavior.
While some children will continue to seek to overcome their limitations, and others will simply accept their place in society, the delinquent portion of disaffected ...
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Hall del elizabeth del proyecto de la unidad 9 que determina la traducción es...Elizabeth Hall
Word Processor Spanish Translation- of Paper originally written in Englsih
Traducción española del procesador de textos del papel del wri originalmente
1. Crime and the American Dream<br />Elizabeth Hall<br />Kaplan University<br />CJ302-01<br />May 20, 2010<br />Ana Moore<br />Crime and the American Dream<br />The United States Declaration of Independence guarantees every citizen of the United States (U.S.) the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The document states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator” with these rights (Jefferson, 1776). These rights, along with the idea that everyone in America shares the same goals and values, which includes the idea of the American Dream, means that everyone undergoes the socialization process of believing that obtaining possessions and monetary gain through competition is the right way to obtain status in this country through Capitalism. Robert Merton’s Theory of Anomie applied Emile Durkheim’s thoughts, on Anomie to the study of criminology to fit the modern U.S. society’s cultural norms, economic values, and social environment. According to Siegel (2010), Messner and Rosenfeld, applied this to the macro level, and brought forth their institutional anomie theory, which holds the standpoint that disruptive anti-constructive behavior serves a purpose in modern society due to cultural and institutional pressure. Publishing their strain theory, in a book titled Crime and the American Dream; they provide observations into our society. They observe that because our American system, based upon capitalism, leaves all other social norms and configurations present but falling below the importance of the economy, in our society, the American Dream and our capitalistic society inherently cause people to feel the need to achieve these materialistic goals by any means necessary. (Siegel, 2010)<br />Merton’s Strain Theory of Anomie<br />Robert Merton established that two fundamentals of our society interrelate to form<br />conditions of anomie, which is a lack of cultural norms due to rapidly changing cultural and economical conditions in the U. S... He also felt that every individual person had their own ideas on what the goals of society actually are, and that they used modes of adaptation, depending on what social inequality, standing, and class they are, to achieve these goals. These modes are conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, and rebellion. Some people, in order to relieve the strain caused by conflict between the goal, and having the means to attain the goal, resort to criminality to attain the goal, linking abnormal conduct and actions to the fact that legal means to attain success are not fairly distributed in a capitalistic society. Contemporary strain theorists such as Steven Messner and Richard Rosenfeld have adopted Merton’s theory on a macro-level, introducing institutional anomic theory. (Siegel, 2010)<br />Messner and Rosenfeld’s Theory of Institutional Anomie<br /> Messner and Rosenfeld contributed a significant addendum to Merton’s Theory using anomie to hold the standpoint that disruptive anti-constructive behavior serves a purpose in modern society due to cultural and institutional pressure. They concur with Merton on the analysis that the goal of success is all-encompassing to American society. They then go on to term the idea the American Dream, which can be utilized as both a process to go through, and a goal to achieve. The process engages both the socialization of people to chase monetary or material achievement, and having the people trust that affluence is actually a possible endeavor. The goal entails Americans amassing monetary and material wealth through healthy personal competition, or in broader terms, capitalism. This causes anomic circumstances to occur because the aspiration to achieve, regardless of the cost, causes any semblance of community to lessen, and causes people to have less regard for their fellow man, promotes individual ambition, and curbs the craving for any other value than material achievement. This promotes crime because the means to attain those goals is not distributed evenly. People from upper middle class and wealthy backgrounds have an advantage early in life simply because their parents have more wealth to give them additional opportunities such as better schooling, the ability to participate in activities which further chances at a better college education, and better values taught at home. The reverse is true for people coming from lower income families. Parents are forced to work longer hours for less pay, providing less supervision, and less ability to pay for extracurricular activities, and are either unavailable to teach strong moral values, or are of a criminal nature themselves, teaching the wrong values, such as stealing, cheating, and substance abuse, manufacture, and selling of substances, as being perfectly acceptable behavior. This theory supports the fact that lower income areas have a higher crime rate. (Siegel, 2010)<br />Conclusion<br />Messner and Rosenfeld’s theory does effectively explain most crime in America today. The exception to this would be crimes committed by those criminals who offend for pleasure, passion, or sexually driven needs, such as most American serial murder crimes, crimes committed out of passion, such as the husband who comes home early and catches his wife with another man. The devaluation of the morals of American Society began in the 60’s, and continues on a downward spiral today. This devaluation promotes the idea that crime for profit is ok, and allows more people to commit crimes to gain prosperity and wealth without having the moral compass to let the fact that it is illegal, and morally wrong to do so. In order to change the situation, the criminal justice system would have to enact policies that reflect moral change, which would have to be initiated by the people of our country making it known by voting or polling, that they want these changes to take place.<br /> <br /> References<br />Jefferson, T (1776). Declaration of independence: A transcript. Retrieved May 12, 2010 from<br /> http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html<br />Siegel, L. J. (n.d.) Criminology the Core. Third Edition. University of Massachusetts, Lowell: Thompson Wadsworth & Cengage Learning.<br />Siegel, L.J. (2010). Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies. Tenth Edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.<br />