Deck 6: Social Structure Theories

Question 1

According to Shaw and McKay, _________ factors rather than individual differences are the root cause of crime.

Answer 1

environmental

Question 2

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.

Answer 2

transitional

Question 3

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

Answer 3

Emile Durkheim

Question 4

_________ theory focuses on the structure and organization within the urban environment, which affects crime rates.

Question 5

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

Question 6

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

Question 7

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.

Question 8

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

Question 9

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

Question 10

___________, used by Shaw and McKay, broke the city of Chicago into distinctive zones to explain criminal behavior.

Question 11

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

Question 12

_________ 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 13

______________ 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 14

Quetelet found a strong influence of age and sex on _____.

Question 15

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

Question 16

_________ has been associated with income and wealth disparities, nonexistent employment opportunities, inferior housing patterns, and unequal access to health care. It occurs when the most disadvantaged population is consolidated in the most disorganized urban neighborhoods.

Question 17

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 18

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

Question 19

_________ theory holds that crime is a function of the conflict between people's goals and the means they can use to obtain them legally.

Question 20

_________ theory sees strain and social disorganization together as resulting in a unique, lower-class culture that conflicts with conventional social norms.

Question 21

Individuals who have been cut off from society and 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 22

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 23

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

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

Question 24

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

Question 25

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

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

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

Question 28

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 29

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

Question 30

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

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

While fewer than 10 percent of white neighborhoods can be considered poverty stricken, ____ percent of black, Latino, and other minority communities can be considered poverty areas.

A) 50
B) 60
C) 75
D) 85

Question 34

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

A) 10
B) 20
C) 30
D) 40

Question 35

The level of policing is one of the primary sources of _____ social control.

Question 36

Which group has the lowest level of income?

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

Question 37

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

Question 38

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 39

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

Question 40

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

Question 41

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 42

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 43

Merton's anomie theory of criminal behavior stresses the:

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

Question 44

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 45

According to Shaw and McKay, which of the following is false?

A) Individual differences are the root cause of crime.
B) Crime is a constant fixture in distressed areas regardless of racial or ethnic makeup.
C) Crime rates are sensitive to the destructive social forces operating in lower-class urban neighborhoods.
D) Community values, norms, and cohesiveness affect individual behavior choices.

Question 46

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 47

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(n) _____, 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 48

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 49

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

A) Zones I and II
B) Zones II and III
C) Zones III and IV
D) Zones IV and V

Question 50

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

A) gentrification.
B) turnover.
C) transition.
D) organization.

Question 51

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 52

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 53

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 54

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

A) concentric
B) inadequate
C) transitional
D) at-risk

Question 55

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

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

Question 56

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 57

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

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

Question 58

A socially disorganized area is one in which ______ 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 59

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

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

Question 60

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

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

Question 61

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

Question 62

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 63

Cultural deviance theory focuses on which factor?

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 64

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 65

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

Question 66

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) retreatism
B) innovation
C) rebellion
D) conformity

Question 67

In William Julius Wilson's book, he finds that most adults in inner-city ghetto neighborhoods are not working during a typical week.

Question 68

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

Question 69

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 70

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 71

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

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

Question 72

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 73

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

Question 74

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

Question 75

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 76

According to Durkheim, crime is abnormal and a part  only OF societies that are based on inequality.

Question 77

A youth experiences physical abuse at home. Which type of strain does 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 78

Which 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 79

Which focal concern involves being independent of authority figures?

A) Trouble
B) Autonomy
C) Excitement
D) Smartness

Question 80

People in the United States live in a stratified society.