Exam 6: Social Structural Theories

How people as a group rather than individuals are able to prevent crimes is known as

Identify and describe two modes of adaptation from Merton's strain theory.

Identify the theorist(s) known for suggesting that crime is a normal and inevitable social phenomenon.

Explain social disorganization theory, and identify its strengths, weaknesses, and policy implications.

Identify the three variables most strongly and consistently associated with rates of crime and delinquency in urban settings according to social disorganization theory.

Which of the following is the most common mode of adaptation?

Which of Miller's focal concerns means personal freedom?

Which of the following structural shifts produced the by-product of increasing the length of time of gang member participation?

According to Cohen, lower-class youth desire approval and status, but because they cannot meet middle-class criteria, they become frustrated.

Shaw and McKay's social disorganization theory is part of which theoretical tradition?

Adaptation I

Which mode of adaptation is characterized by the rejection of legitimate cultural goals and the institutionalized means of attaining them?

Define social control.

If crime is caused by a breakdown of informal social controls, which of the following would be the most effective way to reduce crime?

Compare and contrast Merton's strain theory to Agnew's general strain theory.How are the two alike? How are they different?

Mass incarceration has resulted in street gangs becoming more assimilated into prison gangs.

The concept of negative emotions is central to which theory?

After reaching a population density of 4,000 juveniles in a county, population size had a significant effect on the rate of juvenile violence.

Identify the five critical periods that have affected the social and organizational development of gangs over the last 150 years.Briefly explain the impact of each period on the development of contemporary gangs.

Compare and contrast Albert Cohen's subcultural theory to Walter Miller's theory of focal concerns.How are the two alike? How are they different?