Deck 4: Sociological Views of Delinquency

Question 1

The concept of social disorganization was first recognized by sociologists:

A)Hirschi and Merton
B)Agnew and Lewis
C)Sutherland and Platt
D)Shaw and McKay

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Poor kids are less likely to commit crimes because they are able to achieve social success in other ways
B)Kids who live in socially disorganized areas commit crime because the forces of social control have broken down
C)There is little evidence of a relationship between the elements of socialization and delinquency
D)Simply living in a violent neighborhood produces violent children

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to Robert Merton, individuals without acceptable means for obtaining success experience:

A)alienation
B)growth and enrichment
C)empathy
D)anomie

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Residents of cohesive communities develop a sense of ___________________; people know one another, develop interpersonal ties, mutual trust and a willingness to intervene in the supervision of children and help maintain public order.

A)collective efficacy
B)collective worth
C)community narcissism
D)community level anomie

Question 5

________________________ is the process of passing on deviant traditions and delinquent values from one from one generation to the next.

A)Social disorganization
B)Cultural transmission
C)Social control
D)Social learning

Question 6

Which of the following statements is false?

A)The more often children are exposed to violence within their residential community the more likely they are to become violent themselves
B)Inappropriate and disrupted social relations have been linked to crime
C)Political unrest and economic stress have been found to precede sharp increases in crime rates
D)Stabilization of traditional social institutions typically precedes crime rate increases

Question 7

Oscar Lewis coined the term __________________ to describe feelings of apathy, helplessness, and mistrust of institutions experienced by the urban poor.

A)anomie
B)learned helplessness
C)culture of poverty
D)truly disadvantaged

Question 8

According to Agnew's General Strain Theory, adolescents engage in delinquency as a result of ______________________ - the anger, frustration, fear, and other adverse emotions that derive from strain.

A)negative affective states
B)relative deprivation
C)psychopathological anomalies
D)cognitive dissonance

Question 9

The _______________________ theories tie delinquency rates to socioeconomic conditions and cultural values; areas that experience high levels of poverty and social disorganization will also have high delinquency rates.

A)social structure
B)social process
C)social traits
D)social learning

Question 10

Which of the following statements about communities on the downswing is false?

A)They are likely to experience increases in the number of single-parent families
B)They tend to develop mixed-use areas in which commercial and residential properties stand side by side
C)Because of racial differences in economic well-being, those left behind are all too often European Americans
D)Poverty becomes highly concentrated as people become despondent and employment opportunities non-existent

Question 11

According to Elijah Anderson, there are two cultural forces running through poor
Neighborhoods that shape their reactions. These are street values and

A)working poor values
B)decent values
C)ghetto values
D)racial values

Question 12

This source of strain outlined by Robert Agnew is caused by experiencing child abuse, criminal victimization, school failure, and the presence of drugs and violence in the neighborhood.

A)presentation of negative stimuli
B)removal of positive stimulus
C)disjunction of expectations and achievements
D)failure to achieve goals

Question 13

Relative deprivation refers to a sense of:

A)injustice when the poor and the rich live in close physical proximity to one another
B)alienation present among inner city residents caused by crime, violence, and urban fear
C)hostility residents feel once their neighborhood is gentrified
D)none of the above

Question 14

Which of the following best describes social disorganization theory principles?

A)offenders choose to commit crimes because the benefits outweigh the costs
B)communities no longer have the capability of regulating the conduct of residents
C)more individuals who have psychological and physical traits for crime live there
D)youths model the behavior of older residents and internalize pro-social behaviors

Question 15

William Julius Wilson described the members of the urban underclass as the:

A)enabled poor
B)truly disadvantaged
C)transitional poor
D)relative poverty stricken

Question 16

This source of strain outlined by Robert Agnew can be caused by the loss of girlfriend, moving to a new neighborhood, or the divorce of parents.

A)disjunction of expectations and achievements
B)removal of positively valued stimuli
C)presentation of negative stimulus
D)failure to achieve goals

Question 17

Which of the following is not one of the critical social factors believed to affect delinquent behaviors presented in the text?

A)interpersonal interactions
B)gender disparity
C)community ecological conditions
D)social change

Question 18

The social structure theories tie delinquency rates to all of the following except:

A)poverty
B)gang culture
C)chronic unemployment
D)socialization

Question 19

"Delinquency is a result of youths' desire to conform to lower-class neighbourhood values that conflict with those of the larger society." This statement most closely reflects:

A)differential association theory
B)social process theory
C)critical theory
D)cultural deviance theory

Question 20

There are more than ______________ youths living in poverty in the United States.

A)14 million
B)47.2 million
C)350,000
D)1.8 million

Question 21

According to cultural deviance theory, obedience to the norms of their lower-class culture puts people in conflict with the norms of the dominant culture.

Question 22

Social control theories see delinquency as the result of:

A)the poor and the rich living in close physical proximity to one another
B)living in an area with weakened community institutions
C)an individual having weakened bonds to family, school, and peers
D)a failure to achieve positive goals in life

Question 23

According to cultural deviance theory, people who adopt the goals of society but lack the means to attain them seek alternatives, such as crime.

Question 24

Robert Agnew's general strain theory holds that strain originates solely with the failure to achieve goals.

Question 25

According to the text, restorative justice:

A)is a non-punitive strategy based on healing
B)is concerned with the offender taking responsibility for his actions
C)seeks to return the offender to the community as a full productive member
D)all of the above

Question 26

Social structure theories contend that socioeconomic conditions and cultural values are associated with crime.

Question 27

Which element of Hirschi's social bond is illustrated by maintaining a positive image in the community, good work history, and high aspirations for future accomplishments?

A)attachment
B)commitment
C)involvement
D)belief

Question 28

Which of the following theories centers around a view of society in which an elite class uses the law as a means of meeting threats to its status?

A)social control theory
B)critical theory
C)differential association theory
D)general strain theory

Question 29

Though national dropout rates are in decline, European American students have little more than a 50:50 chance of finishing high school with a diploma.

Question 30

If a youth continually receives negative feedback from significant others, they will interpret this image as accurate and their behavior will begin to conform to these negative expectations. This process is called a:

A)self-fulfilling prophecy
B)retrospective reinterpretation
C)specific deterrence
D)runaway juggernaut

Question 31

According to social disorganization theory, all people have the potential to become delinquents, but their bonds to conventional society prevent them from violating the law.

Question 32

In Hirschi's social control theory, attachment, commitment, involvement, and
_____________________ are elements of the bond to society.

A)accountability
B)piety
C)religiosity
D)belief

Question 33

Relative deprivation occurs when pockets of extreme poverty are socially and physically isolated from the rest of society.

Question 34

According to the text, fear of teen crime is much higher in affluent suburbs than in disorganized neighborhoods.

Question 35

For most people, membership in the underclass is temporary often lasting a few months.

Question 36

Which of the following theorists is most likely to assert that criminal behavior is learned primarily in interpersonal groups?

A)general strain theorist
B)differential association theorist
C)labeling theorist
D)social control theorist

Question 37

Which of the following is not one of the principles of restorative justice?

A)victims, offenders, and communities are the key stakeholders not the justice system
B)victims and communities suffer from crime and they need to be restored
C)offenders have an obligation to make amends and they should do so voluntarily
D)offenders should be removed from the community as punishment for their misdeeds

Question 38

According to social disorganization theory, neighborhoods that are disorganized are incapable of effective social control.

Question 39

Which of the following would best describe a prevention effort advocated by a social structure theorist?

A)midnight basketball leagues to keep youths busy and occupied at night
B)adult mentors working with at risk youths to provide prosocial role models
C)increasing the penalties for delinquency to deter would be offenders
D)community redevelopment including educational programs and job training

Question 40

Which of the following theories assumes that all people have the potential to commit crimes but are kept in check by their attachments to society?

A)social disorganization
B)social learning
C)social control
D)strain

Question 41

Social learning theory stresses that kids learn both how to commit crimes and the attitudes needed to support the behavior.

Question 42

In restorative justice, the community's obligation is to the victim of the crime and not to the offender.

Question 43

Shaw and McKay noted that delinquency rates where higher in ________________ neighborhoods, areas that had changed from affluence to decay and often had commercial, industrial, and residential zoning.

Question 44

A ___________________________ is an area undergoing a shift in population and structure, usually from middle-class residential to lower-class mixed use.

Question 45

Hirschi's social control theory contends that if an individual's bond to conventional society is weak or broken, the individual is free to commit crimes without fear of the informal consequences.

Question 46

Restorative justice is an approach that relies on non-punitive strategies for delinquency control.

Question 47

Learning theories assume that children are born good and learn to be bad.

Question 48

In the Child Savers, Platt contends the child saving movement's real goal was to maintain order and control while preserving the existing class system.

Question 49

The text states that, according to Agnew, adolescents engage in delinquency as a result of ________________ states, the anger, frustration, fear, and other adverse emotions that derive from strain.

Question 50

__________________________ is the process of passing on deviant traditions and delinquent values from one from one generation to the next.

Question 51

Oscar Lewis coined the phrase ________________ to describe the crushing burden faced by the urban poor; it is marked by apathy, cynicism, helplessness, and mistrust of institutions.

Question 52

Social control theory stresses that kids learn both how to commit crimes and the attitudes needed to support the behavior.

Question 53

Labeling theory is primarily concerned with identifying the way society reacts to individuals and the way individuals react to society to shape or influence behavior.

Question 54

A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a youth receives negative feedback from significant others, the youth interprets this feedback as accurate, and his/her behavior conforms to this negative expectation.

Question 55

Residents of cohesive communities develop a sense of __________________; people know one another, develop interpersonal ties, mutual trust and a willingness to intervene in the supervision of children and help maintain public order.

Question 56

_________________________ is a condition that exists when people of wealth and poverty live in close proximity to one another; it may produce feelings of anger and hostility.

Question 57

According to Robert Merton, ____________________ occurs when individuals feel social and psychological strain due to a lack of acceptable means for achieving success.

Question 58

According to William Julius Wilson, those people who are left out of the economic mainstream and reduced to living in the most deteriorated inner-city areas are called the "_________________________."

Question 59

In his __________________ theory, sociologist Robert Agnew argues that there are actually more sources of strain than Merton realized.

Question 60

According to social control theory, a person's bond to society prevents him or her from violating social rules; if the bond weakens, the person is free to commit delinquent acts.

Question 61

According to Elija Anderson's research, young men in poor inner-city neighborhoods build their self-image on the foundation of _____________ or having "juice."

Question 62

Compare and contrast cultural deviance theory and differential association theory. Provide examples of each.

Question 63

When the values of a subculture clash with those of the dominant culture it is called _____________________.

Question 64

Parents are said to have ________________________ when they are supportive and effectively control their children in a non-coercive fashion.

Question 65

According to the text, becoming _________________ or labeled by agents of social control creates and sustains delinquent careers.

Question 66

The best-known social learning theory is Edwin Sutherland's_______________ theory.

Question 67

The _________________________ movement seeks to turn the justice system into a healing process rather than a distributor of retribution.

Question 68

Hirschi argues that the social bond a person maintains with society contains four main elements. List and discuss these four elements.

Question 69

Identify the principles of restorative justice. What types of juvenile offenses are ideally handled using the restorative justice approach?

Question 70

The ________________ view holds that delinquency is a result of weakened commitment to family, peers, and school.

Question 71

Alternative community-based sanctions are substituted for state training schools, a policy known as _____________________.

Question 72

The text presents four critical factors believed to cause or affect delinquency. Identify and discuss each of these four factors.

Question 73

According to ________________________ theory, obedience to the norms of their lower-class culture puts people in conflict with the norms of the dominant culture.

Question 74

Compare and contrast how social structure theory and social process theories approach delinquency prevention.

Question 75

According to the concept of _____________________, if a child continually receives negative feedback from parents and teachers, they will interpret these labels as accurate; they become the person others perceive them to be.