Focal Concerns

• Who suggested that working-class boys are socialized into distinct values?

  Miller
• What term did Miller use to describe the values of working-class boys?

  Focal concerns
• How do Miller's focal concerns affect delinquent behavior?

  They make crime more likely
• What does seeking excitement lead to according to Miller?

  Non-utilitarian crime
• What might toughness, smartness, and trouble result in?

  Fighting
• How might autonomy influence behavior according to Miller?

  It leads to taking matters into one's own hands
• What does fatalism imply about individuals' views on consequences?

  They do not consider consequences
• What is unclear about Miller's concept of the "lower class"?

  Distinct norms and values from society
• How does Miller's view contradict classic functionalism?

  It challenges social solidarity and value consensus
• What criticism do feminist critics have regarding Miller's focal concerns?

  They may be masculine values
• What alternative view is suggested about the focal concerns?

  They may also apply to working-class girls
• According to David Matza, what might we all share?

  Deviant values
• What is the implication of Matza's suggestion about deviant values?

  We learn not to act on them