Deck 6: Social Structure Theories

Question 1

Merton found that culturally defined goals and socially approved means interact to produce _________ conditions.

Answer 1

anomic

Question 2

_________ have a higher rate of poverty than any other group.

Answer 2

Children

Question 3

Gunnar Myrdal described a worldwide _________ that was cut off from society, its members lacking the education and skills needed to be effectively in demand in modern society.

Answer 3

underclass

Question 4

_________ are segments of the population whose members have a relatively similar portion of material goods and who share attitudes, values, norms, and an identifiable lifestyle.

Question 5

America is considered a ___________________ society, since it is based on specific levels such as social class, wealth, and economic success.

Question 6

The lowest social stratum in any society are referred to as the _______________________; these individuals usually lack the educational or necessary skills to function successfully in society.

Question 7

_____________________ are referred to as rude or uncivil behaviors that depict little care for property or others.

Question 8

W.I. Thomas, Ernest Burgess, and Louis Wirth were part of a school of criminology known as the _________________.

Question 9

According to Merton, _________ is the mode of adaptation most closely related to criminal behavior.

Question 10

______________ theory holds that crime is a function of the conflict between the goals people have and the means they have to achieve such goals.

Question 11

According to Robert Agnew, _________ theory states that individuals who feel stress and strain are more likely to commit crimes.

Question 12

_________ theory focuses on the structure and organization within the urban environment that affect crime rates.

Question 13

Shaw and McKay found that the most poverty-ridden _________ neighborhoods suffered high rates of population turnover and were incapable of inducing residents to remain and defend the neighborhoods against criminal groups.

Question 14

________________ is referred to as the removal and replacement of obsolete housing; an increase in criminal activity is often seen after the process.

Question 15

Concentric Zone Theory, used by Shaw and McKay, broke the city of ____________________ into distinctive zones to explain criminal behavior.

Question 16

Considered one of the founders of sociology, ________________, defined crime as a normal and necessary social event.

Question 17

Adolphe Quetelet was a Belgian mathematician who started the ___________________ school of criminology.

Question 18

Apathy, cynicism, helplessness, and mistrust of social institutions, such as schools, government agencies, and the police mark the _________.

Question 19

Shaw and McKay's concentric zone analysis indicated that _________ is the central business district of a city.

Question 20

The condition of _____________________ exists when wealthy people and poverty-stricken people live in close proximity to one another.

Question 21

People in the United States live in what type of society?

A) subcultural
B) stagnant
C) incorporated
D) stratified

Question 22

Poverty-ridden neighborhoods that suffer high rates of population turnover and are incapable of inducing residents to remain are known as:

A) concentric neighborhoods.
B) gated neighborhoods.
C) transitional neighborhoods.
D) at-risk neighborhoods.

Question 23

Individuals who have been cut off from society and whose members lack the education and skills needed to be effectively in demand in modern society are considered members of the:

A) bottom strata
B) underclass
C) social class
D) lower sector

Question 24

According to Shaw and McKay's statistical analysis, in which concentric zones were the highest rates of crime found?

A) zones I & II
B) zones II & III
C) zones III & IV
D) zones IV & V

Question 25

_________occurs when the rules expressed in the criminal law clash with the demands of group conduct norms.

Question 26

The Division of Labor in Society was authored by:

A) ​Emile Durkheim
B) ​John Cika
C) ​Lawrence Driscoll
D) ​Albert Cohen

Question 27

In 1966, Oscar Lewis argued that the crushing lifestyle of lower-class areas produce ____, which is/are passed from one generation to the next.

A) culture conflict
B) a culture of poverty
C) differential opportunity
D) behavior conflict

Question 28

The rules governing day-to-day living conditions within a culture, group, or political structure are termed "conduct _________."

Question 29

Members of the underclass who are socially isolated, live in urban inner cities, occupy the bottom rung of the social ladder, and are the victims of discrimination are known as:

A) the truly poor.
B) the truly disadvantaged.
C) the truly at-risk.
D) the truly differentiated.

Question 30

What are the three branches of social structure theory?

A) social learning theory, social disorganization theory, and cultural deviance theory
B) cultural deviance theory, deprivation theory, strain theory
C) cultural deviance theory, anomie theory, deprivation theory
D) social disorganization theory, strain theory, cultural deviance theory

Question 31

Which of the following groups has the lowest level of income?

A) White
B) Hispanic
C) Asian
D) African American

Question 32

The theory that holds that crime is a function of one's inability to achieve personal goals (such as earning money, owning a home, having a nice car) because society is stratified by socioeconomic class is called:

A) cultural conflict theory.
B) deviance theory.
C) social disorganization theory.
D) strain theory.

Question 33

Social disorganization theory focuses on which of the following conditions in the urban environment?

A) age and ethnic differences
B) inadequate social control and deteriorated housing
C) frustration and stress levels
D) unequal distribution of wealth and power

Question 34

Social Disorganization Theory was first popularized by the work of:

A) ​Robert Park and Ethan Hawkins
B) ​Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay
C) ​Robert Shaw and Franklin Noble
D) ​Clifford Akers and Robert Shaw

Question 35

A socially disorganized area is one in which the ______ have broken down and can no longer carry out their expected or stated functions.

A) institutions of social control
B) institutions of social service
C) institutions of local government
D) institutions of education and religion

Question 36

The anger, frustration, and adverse emotions that emerge in the wake of negative and destructive social relationships are known as ____________.

Question 37

Poverty during early childhood may have a more severe impact on behavior than poverty during adolescence or adulthood. What percent of American children live in poverty?

A) 5
B) 15
C) 36
D) 45

Question 38

According to Cohen's middle-class measuring rod, most youths gain status at _________.

Question 39

Neighborhood residents who are respected members of the community in Elijah Andersons' study were called:

A) street preachers.
B) Winfrees.
C) right men.
D) old heads.

Question 40

_________ are the unique value system that dominates life among the lower classes.

Question 41

Agnew's General Strain Theory indicates that criminality is the direct result of ___ that come in the wake of destructive social relationships.

A) inadequate social controls
B) reaction formations
C) negative affective states
D) blocked social means

Question 42

Which of the following is not an element of general strain theory?

A) achievement of positively valued goals
B) disjunction of expectations and achievements
C) removal of positively valued stimuli
D) presentation of negative stimuli

Question 43

Merton's anomie theory of criminal behavior stresses:

A) the importance of socialization and middle-class measuring rods.
B) the idea that American society emphasizes common success goals without providing equal access to the means for obtaining them.
C) the idea that criminal personality is not inherited, but tendencies toward criminal behavior are.
D) the importance of the individual's early family environment in determining attitudes toward crime.

Question 44

If a youth experiences physical abuse at home, which type of strain did the youth experience according to general strain theory?

A) achievement of positively valued goals
B) disjunction of expectations and achievements
C) removal of positively valued stimuli
D) presentation of negative stimuli

Question 45

Social ecologists know that people who report living in neighborhoods with high levels of crime and civil disorder become suspicious and mistrusting. Some residents become so suspicious that they develop a/an _____ in which the outside world is considered the enemy out to destroy their neighborhood.

A) anomie mindset
B) culture conflict
C) focal attitude
D) siege mentality

Question 46

Institutional social control includes ____ while public social control includes ___.

A) schools, police
B) families, schools
C) schools, peers
D) police, churches

Question 47

When an individual accepts the goals of society, but rejects the legitimate means and instead achieves the goals through crime, it is called:

A) conformity.
B) innovation.
C) ritualism.
D) rebellion.

Question 48

According to Durkheim, _____ occurs in a society in which rules of behavior have broken down or become inoperative during periods of rapid social change or social crisis, such as war or famine.

A) anomie
B) stratification
C) gentrification
D) transition

Question 49

Those who reject the goals but retain the traditional means to retain the little they have been able to achieve represent which type of adaptation?

A) conformists
B) innovators
C) ritualists
D) rebels

Question 50

A renewal stage in which obsolete housing is replaced and upgraded is known as:

A) gentrification
B) turnover
C) transition
D) organizational

Question 51

According to Merton, a person who rejects society's goals and norms and becomes a drifter and drug addict falls into which mode of adaptation?

A) retreatists
B) innovation
C) rebellion
D) conformity

Question 52

The rules that govern day-to-day living conditions within a subculture are known as:

A) policies.
B) focal concerns.
C) middle-class measuring rods.
D) conduct norms.

Question 53

In neighborhoods with high levels of collective efficacy, children are less likely to become involved with deviant peers and to engage in deviant behavior. Rather, kids use their wits to avoid violent confrontations and to feel safe. This concept is referred to as:

A) efficacy effect.
B) collective effect.
C) street efficacy.
D) culture savvy.

Question 54

Cultural deviance theory focuses on which of the following factors?

A) development of subcultures as a result of disorganization and strain
B) blocked opportunities for achieving status
C) poverty and unemployment
D) socialization processes inherent in the truly disadvantaged

Question 55

When individuals use culturally approved means to attain social goals, this is known as:

A) conformity
B) innovation
C) ritualism
D) rebellion

Question 56

The condition that exists when people of wealth and poverty live in close proximity to one another is known as:

A) general strain.
B) anomie reaction.
C) negative stimuli reaction.
D) relative deprivation.

Question 57

If a juvenile experiences the death of a parent or grandparent, which type of strain did the youth experience according to general strain theory?

A) achievement of positively valued goals
B) disjunction of expectations and achievements
C) removal of positively valued stimuli
D) presentation of negative stimuli

Question 58

__________ is a characteristic of preindustrial society, held together by traditions, shared values, and unquestioned beliefs.

A) Organic solidarity
B) Anomic solidarity
C) Mechanic solidarity
D) Systematic solidarity

Question 59

Institutional anomie argues that the high rate of crime in the United States is due to its overemphasis on which institution?

A) education
B) economics
C) peers
D) racial disparity

Question 60

Cohesion among neighborhood residents (community cohesion) combined with shared expectations for informal social control of public space promotes:

A) siege mentality.
B) gentrification.
C) collective efficacy.
D) incivility.

Question 61

General strain theory suggests that crime peaks during adolescence because adolescence is a time of high stress created by the weakening of parental supervision and the development of relationships with a diverse peer group.

Question 62

If a juvenile joins a gang in which he achieves his status through violence and toughness, which type of gang is he in according to Cloward and Ohlin's theory of differential opportunity?

A) conflict
B) retreatist
C) criminal
D) status

Question 63

People in the United States live in a stratified society.

Question 64

While short-term national economic trends may have little effect on crime, long-term local unemployment rates may have a significant impact on conditions at the neighborhood level.

Question 65

Postindustrial social systems are highly developed and dependent upon the division of labor; people are connected by their interdependent needs for one another's services and production is referred to as organic solidarity

Question 66

There is evidence that stress influences males and females equally; however, the degree to which it leads to criminal behavior is much higher among females than males.

Question 67

The unique value system that dominates life among the lower classes is known as:

A) focal concerns.
B) middle-class measuring rods.
C) conduct norms.
D) reaction formation.

Question 68

The three branches of social structure theory are social disorganization, deterrence, and cultural deviance.

Question 69

Shaw and McKay identified transitional neighborhoods as being poverty-ridden areas that suffered high rates of population turnover and that were incapable of inducing residents to remain and defend the neighborhoods against criminal groups.

Question 70

Findings suggest that poverty experienced during adolescence may have a more severe impact than poverty experienced during early childhood or during adulthood.

Question 71

The application of sociological concepts to criminology can be traced to the works of Quetelet and Durkheim.

Question 72

Societal dispersion refers to the condition that exists when wealthy people and poverty-stricken people live in close proximity to one another.

Question 73

Cloward and Ohlin's theory of differential opportunity states that people in all strata of society share the same success goals but those in the lower class have limited means for achieving them. Because of differential opportunity, kids are likely to:

A) find menial jobs.
B) seek role models.
C) join gangs.
D) feel shame.

Question 74

Which focal concern involves being independent of authority figures?

A) trouble
B) autonomy
C) excitement
D) smartness

Question 75

According to general strain theory, strain can be the result of the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the removal of positively valued stimuli, or the presentation of negatively viewed stimuli.

Question 76

In neighborhoods where collective efficacy is high, children are less likely to become involved with deviant peers and less likely to engage in problem behaviors.

Question 77

Structural strain suggests that economic and social sources of strain shape collective human behavior.

Question 78

Anomie is derived from the French word nomos , meaning "without feeling."

Question 79

Societies held together by traditions, shared values, and unquestioned beliefs (i.e., mechanical solidarity) are the most likely to develop anomie.

Question 80

According to focal concern theory, which of the following is not identified as a lower-class focal concern?

A) smartness
B) trouble
C) excitement
D) achievement