Criminology unit 2

• Sociological theories believe that social factors play a role in crime.
• Structural theories focus on the structure of society and how it is organised.
• Structural theories look at how equal or unequal society is, what causes conflict and division.
• Structural theories believe that the structure of society causes crime.
• Durkheim’s theory believes society has a stable function based on shared norms, values and beliefs.
• Durkheim believes that some crime is inevitable because individuals are inadequately socialised.
• Durkheim believes that crime performs important functions: boundary maintenance, social change, safety value, and warning light.
• Durkheim was the first to recognise that crime can have positive functions for society and this is supported by protests that have changed the law.
• Durkheim's theory reflects the importance of sufficient socialisation in maintaining conformity.
• Functionalism is selective in the crimes they consider- ignores white collar and corporate crimes.
• The concept of anomie cannot explain all crime and deviance such as impulsive, emotional crime like murder.
• Durkheim claims society requires a certain amount of deviance to function but offers no way of knowing how much is the right amount.
• Merton's strain theory believes that the root cause of crime lies in the unequal structure of society.
• American society values money success or wealth as a goal (American Dream)
• Merton's strain theory shows how both normal and deviant behaviour arise from the same goals- conformists and innovators both pursue money success.
• Official statistics show that most crime is property crime as society values wealth, working-class crime rates are higher because they have less opportunity to obtain wealth legitimately.
• Strain theory considers how social structures create pressure to turn to deviance.
• Strain theory explains why certain demographics may be more likely to commit a crime.
• Strain theory disproportionately attributes criminal activity to the working class by using official crime statistics, which tend to obscure white-collar crime.
• Psychodynamic theories believe that our early childhood experiences and unconscious mind can influence our behaviours.
• Our personalities contain active forces that cause us to act the way we do.
• Criminal behaviour is the result of an individual's failure to resolve inner conflict in a socially acceptable way.
• Psychoanalysis is a theory founded by Freud (1856-1939)
• Freud believed that our early childhood experiences determine our personality and future behaviour.
• Early experiences determine whether we will act in anti-social ways.
• The human personality is structured into three parts that develops at different stages in our life.
• Use of questionnaires may not be valid as people may lie
• Offenders score high on impulsiveness but not sociability
• Evidence on prisoners shows a correlation between personality type and criminality but this doesn't prove that personality causes criminality
• ID is the impulsive and unconscious part of our personality and is present from birth.
• ID is instinctive and animal part of the mind.
• ID demands immediate satisfaction, which is referred to as the pleasure principle- sex, food and sleep.
• The main aim of the id is to gain pleasure and gratification at any cost.
• If we act on the id's impulses it will lead to anti-social and criminal behaviours.
• Superego is the last part of our personality to develop.
• Superego is conscious and aware of morals.
• Superego forms around 4 years and embodies the child's sense of what is right and wrong- moral rules.
• The superego seeks to perfect and civilise our behaviour.
• The superego is learned through identification with parents and others.
• The superego is like a nagging parent and punishes us with feelings of guilt and anxiety.