Functionalist Theories of Crime & Deviance - Durkheim | A Level Sociology
Summary
TLDRThis tutorial video explores Emile Durkheim's functionalist theories on crime and deviance. Durkheim posited that crime is inevitable and even beneficial for society at optimal levels, serving boundary maintenance and fostering social cohesion. He suggested that deviance can act as a catalyst for societal adaptation and change, as seen in movements like civil rights and women's liberation. However, contemporary challenges, such as defining the ideal crime level and the media's role in social change, question the applicability of his theories today.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Emile Durkheim is recognized as one of the founding fathers of sociology and developed theories to explain societal functions and evolution.
- 🔄 Durkheim described society's transition from mechanical solidarity to organic solidarity due to rapid social changes like urbanization and industrialization.
- 🚨 He noted that modern society's experiences, especially after the industrial revolution, led to undesirable effects such as poverty, mental illness, and crime.
- 🔍 Durkheim suggested that crime and deviance are normal parts of a healthy society, with crime being inevitable and even desirable at certain levels.
- 🛑 Crime serves a positive function by maintaining boundaries and reinforcing societal values through collective condemnation of deviant acts.
- 🌐 Durkheim believed that deviance can lead to adaptation and change, as deviation from societal norms can gradually shift those norms over time.
- 🏛 Examples of societal change driven by deviance include the civil rights, gay rights, and women's liberation movements.
- 🚨 Durkheim also proposed that crime can act as a 'safety valve', releasing societal tensions that might otherwise lead to more serious issues.
- 📊 While Durkheim's theories are relevant today, defining an 'optimal' level of crime remains challenging.
- 🤔 Durkheim's theories have been criticized for not fully explaining how crime occurs and for the variable impact of deviant behaviors on social change in contemporary society.
Q & A
What are functionalist theories of crime and deviance?
-Functionalist theories of crime and deviance suggest that such behaviors serve a purpose in society, helping to maintain social order and cohesion.
Who is Emile Durkheim and what is his contribution to sociology?
-Emile Durkheim is considered one of the founding fathers of sociology. He developed theories to explain how society functions and evolves, particularly focusing on the impact of social changes on social cohesion.
What is the concept of 'organic change' as described by Durkheim?
-Organic change refers to the gradual social changes that advance society for the better, such as urbanization and industrialization.
How did the rapid social changes after the Industrial Revolution affect society according to Durkheim?
-Durkheim observed that rapid social changes led to a loss of organic solidarity and a shift towards mechanical solidarity, resulting in undesirable effects like poverty, mental illness, and crime.
What is the difference between organic and mechanical solidarity?
-Organic solidarity is based on interdependence and shared values, while mechanical solidarity is characterized by a more structured and engineered social order, often through institutions like education.
Why did Durkheim believe crime was inevitable in modern society?
-Durkheim suggested that crime is a normal part of a healthy society, as it can serve to reinforce social norms and values.
What is the concept of 'boundary maintenance' in Durkheim's theory?
-Boundary maintenance refers to how society reacts to criminal behavior to reinforce the value consensus, thereby maintaining social norms and cohesion.
How does Durkheim view the role of deviance in societal change?
-Durkheim saw deviance as a way of demonstrating changing attitudes towards the established social order, which can lead to gradual societal change as new behaviors become the norm.
What are some examples of how crime and deviance can act as a safety valve for society according to Durkheim?
-Crime and deviance can act as a warning sign of societal drift and can provide a release for tensions that might otherwise lead to more serious criminal activities.
What criticisms can be made of Durkheim's views on crime and deviance?
-Critics argue that defining the optimum level of crime is problematic and that Durkheim offers little explanation for the causes of crime beyond frustration. Additionally, some argue that deviant behaviors have less effect on social change in contemporary society.
How does Durkheim's theory relate to contemporary society?
-Durkheim's concepts of boundary maintenance and deviance as a form of social change remain relevant today, as seen in public reactions to various forms of crime and social movements.
Outlines
📚 Durkheim's Functionalist Theories on Crime and Deviance
This paragraph introduces Emile Durkheim's functionalist theories on crime and deviance. Durkheim, a founding father of sociology, developed theories to explain societal functions and evolution. He observed that rapid social changes post-industrial revolution led to a loss of organic solidarity and a shift towards mechanical solidarity through institutions like education. Durkheim noted that modern society's experiences impacted social cohesion, leading to issues like poverty, mental illness, and crime. However, he suggested that crime and deviance are normal parts of a healthy society, with crime being inevitable and even desirable at certain levels. Crime serves to reinforce societal norms and values, acting as a form of social control and boundary maintenance. Durkheim also proposed that deviance can lead to adaptation and change, as it reflects changing attitudes towards the established social order. He gave examples of the civil rights, gay rights, and women's liberation movements to illustrate how deviance can lead to societal change.
🔍 Evaluating Durkheim's Theories on Crime and Deviance
The second paragraph evaluates Durkheim's theories on crime and deviance. It acknowledges the relevance of his ideas in contemporary society, particularly his concepts of boundary maintenance and deviance as a form of social change. However, it also points out the challenges in defining the optimum level of crime in society. The paragraph critiques Durkheim's limited explanation of crime causation, attributing it mainly to frustration. It also discusses the diminished effect of deviant behaviors in contemporary society, using examples such as climate change protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, which have not always led to significant social change despite widespread condemnation by the media. The paragraph concludes by questioning Durkheim's argument about society's reasonable reaction to social change, given the media and state's attempts to maintain the status quo.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Functionalist Theories
💡Emile Durkheim
💡Organic Solidarity
💡Mechanical Solidarity
💡Anomie
💡Boundary Maintenance
💡Collective Conscience
💡Social Control
💡Adaptation and Change
💡Safety Valve
💡Protest Movements
Highlights
Emile Durkheim's theories on crime and deviance in society
Society's evolution through organic change
Impact of urbanization and industrialization on social cohesion
Shift from organic to mechanical solidarity
Unintended consequences of rapid social change
Crime as a normal part of a healthy society
The necessity of a certain level of crime for societal function
Crime leading to societal norm and value decay if excessive
The role of deviance in societal change and growth
Boundary maintenance through social reactions to crime
Reinforcement of collective conscience against criminality
Informal social control as a disincentive for crime
Public reactions to terrorism as boundary maintenance
The 2011 UK riots and public condemnation of rioters
Adaptation and change through deviant behavior
The civil rights, gay rights, and women's liberation movements
Crime as a safety valve and social release
Critique of Durkheim's views on defining optimal crime levels
Durkheim's limited explanation of crime causation
Contemporary society's reduced impact of deviant behaviors
Media and state's role in maintaining the status quo
Conclusion on Durkheim's functional theories of crime and deviance
Transcripts
welcome to this tutor to you sociology
topic video
looking at functionalist theories of
crime and deviance
focusing on the work of emile durkheim
as one of the founding fathers of
sociology emil durkheim developed
theories to explain how society
functioned and how it evolved through
different stages
he suggested that society went through a
process of organic change
gradual social changes that advance
society for the better
for example urbanization and
industrialization both led to social
changes that impacted on where people
lived and where they worked
however durkheim noticed that the rapid
social changes that accompanied the
period after the industrial revolution
had led to many unwanted changes in
society
a society lost the function of organic
solidarity and shifted towards more
mechanical or
engineered solidarity through
institutions such as education
durkheim suggested that the experiences
of modern society had impacted on social
cohesion
with undesirable effects of mass
urbanization such as poverty
mental illness and crime leading society
towards a state of
anime a drift away from the norms and
values of society
however durkheim suggested that the
criminality and deviance that
accompanied these social changes
was actually a normal part of a healthy
and functioning society
he suggested that crime was inevitable
in modern society
and a certain level of crime was
actually desirable for society
too much crime however would lead
society's norms and values to atrophy or
decay
too little deviants and society will be
incapable of change
and eventually growth would stagnate
durkheim therefore argued that society
performs both positive and negative
functions for society
and at an optimal level deviance was
desirable
but how can crime be positive for
society well this is achieved through
boundary maintenance
durkheim suggested that social reactions
to criminal behavior help to reinforce
the value consensus of society
extreme criminality such as the murder
of women or children
would unite others in society to condemn
those that had committed the crime
he actively reinforced people's belief
in the collective conscience of society
that is its moral code as people condemn
wrongdoers it leads to a collective
agreement that the criminal or deviant
behavior is wrong
and should not be repeated it acts as a
form of
informal social control over others
considering deviance
a society's reaction to the crime is
seen as a disincentive
now we can use this example in
contemporary society
public reactions in recent years to
terrorist activities in london and
manchester can be seen as a form of
boundary maintenance
public displays of grief and defiance
against terrorist activities
backed up with media campaigns
reinforces the will of the people to not
let terrorists win
furthermore in the summer of 2011
nationwide riots after the shooting
of mark goggin in london led to public
condemnation of those that were rioting
and looting
media images that displayed the extent
of the damage caused
led to people proposing more extreme
measures to combat rioters
including the use of police water
cannons
this reinforces the collective
conscience that the behavior witnessed
is not to be tolerated in society
and these attitudes are often reinforced
when footage of other protests are shown
on tv
a further positive function of crime and
deviance suggested by durkheim is
adaptation and change
deviant behavior is a way of people
demonstrating that attitudes are
changing towards the established social
order
and durkheim believed that these served
as a positive function
as smaller groups in society deviate
they attract the following of others
and the norms and values of society are
gradually changed
in some instances this occurs quite
rapidly
however is often a gradual process as
these new behaviors become the norm for
more people
and cease to be deviant as society
accepts these behaviors as a new norm
for example the civil rights movement in
the usa began with sit-ins and protests
in white-only establishments
and gained momentum which led to the
repeal of the jim crow laws
the gay rights movement accelerated
after the riots at the stonewall cafe
and the women's liberation movement
gained momentum by using unconventional
means to push for equality with men
a contemporary example of this is the
removal of the statue of slave trader
edward coulston in bristol
which was subsequently followed by the
removal of other symbols of slavery
across the globe
other functions of crime suggested by
durkheim included the idea that
crime acted as a safety valve for
society
that mass demonstrations are a warning
sign that society is drifting towards
anime
whilst others such as polsky and davis
have suggested that some forms of
deviant such as prostitution and
pornography
can act as a form of social release for
society
relieving tensions that otherwise would
be channeled into criminal activities
we need to be able to evaluate
durkheim's views of crime and deviance
firstly durkheim's ideas can be seen to
have relevance to contemporary society
and his concepts of boundary maintenance
and deviance as a form of social change
are part of his lasting legacy to
sociology
however there are problems with his work
defining the optimum level of crime in
society is problematic
how much is too much and secondly
durkheim offers little explanation as to
how crime occurs other than to suggest
it is due to frustrations
we can also argue that in contemporary
society the deviant behaviors seem to
have less effect
than in previous generations for example
protests over climate change have been
met with widespread condemnation by the
media
rather than meaningful social change
similarly black lives matter protests in
the usa
have not always been met with social
change but rather by attempts to nullify
and sensationalize issues
in this instance durkheim's argument
that there will be a reasonable reaction
by society to social change
can be criticized by actions of the
media and the state in attempting to
ensure the status quo
that concludes this tutor to you
sociology topic video on functional
theories of crime and deviance
examining the work of emile durkheim
thanks for watching
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