Deck 7: Social Process Theories

Question 1

According to the author, which of the following is accurate regarding why troubled kids choose delinquent peers?

A)Troubled kids do so because they are not involved in after-school activities.
B)Troubled kids do so because they fail to understand truancy and delinquency laws.
C)Troubled kids do so out of necessity rather than desire.
D)Troubled kids are biologically drawn or attracted to "troublemakers."

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Do criminals really neutralize? What does Topalli's research on street criminals indicate?

A)Street criminals frequently respect and admire honest, law-abiding persons.
B)Street criminals do not experience guilt that requires neutralization.
C)Street criminals experience guilt and shame that require neutralization.
D)Street criminals are often embarrassed about showing pride in their criminal accomplishments.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Criminals sometimes neutralize wrongdoings by "appealing to higher loyalties." Which of the following would be an example of that technique?

A)Vandalizing the home of a disliked neighbor.
B)Attacking someone who is arguing with a friend.
C)Stealing from a large department store that "has plenty of money."
D)Blaming the police for being unfair.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Adolescents who do not receive affection from their parents during childhood are:

A)more likely to be depressed and suicidal as they mature.
B)more likely to use illicit drugs and be more aggressive as they mature.
C)more likely to suffer mental impairment as they mature.
D)more likely to engage in violent crime as they mature.

Question 5

Which of the following research findings supports the core principles of differential association theory?

A)Criminal and delinquent acts are rational and systematic.
B)Differential association accounts for spontaneous acts of violence.
C)Differential association theory involves circular reasoning.
D)Crime appears to be intergenerational.

Question 6

Religion and belief impact criminal behavior. Even children in high crime areas are better able to resist drug use if they:

A)attend self-esteem building programs.
B)attend religious services.
C)have religious beliefs.
D)have parents with religious beliefs.

Question 7

Edwin Sutherland's differential association theory states that

A)criminal behavior is a product of impaired social bonds.
B)criminal behavior is learned like any other behavior.
C)criminal behavior is a function of educational inequality within the lower class.
D)criminal behavior is a function of media exposure.

Question 8

Criminals sometimes neutralize wrongdoings by maintaining that the crime victim "had it coming." This is an example of which technique of neutralization?

A)denial of injury
B)denial of the victim
C)appeal to higher loyalties
D)denial of responsibility

Question 9

Social control theory suggests that:

A)crime occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken.
B)only males have significant potential to become criminals.
C)crime is a learned behavior
D)people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such.

Question 10

Which of the following is not one of the major principles of differential association?

A)Criminal behavior is learned.
B)Learning criminal behavior involves assimilating techniques.
C)Differential associations may vary in meaning, reliability, and intention.
D)A person becomes a criminal when he or she perceives more favorable than unfavorable consequences to violating the law.

Question 11

Children who fail in school offend more frequently than those who graduate. According to research on national dropout rates, which of the following group sets has "little more than a fifty-fifty chance" of graduating high school?

A)white Americans and Italian Americans
B)Hispanic Americans and African Americans
C)Asian Americans and Italian Americans
D)Native Americans and white Americans

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of differential association theory?

A)Differential association theory fails to account for the origin of criminal definitions.
B)Differential association theory assumes criminal and delinquent acts to be rational and systematic.
C)Differential association theory can account for isolated, psychopathic killing.
D)Differential association theory ignores spontaneous acts of violence.

Question 13

Pioneering social control theorist, Walter Reckless argued that a _______ insulates a youth from the pressures of crimogenic influences in the environment.

A)strong self-image
B)successful educational experience
C)strong religious belief
D)commitment to conformity

Question 14

Social process theories share one basic concept. Which is it?

A)All people, regardless of their race, class, or gender, are basically good.
B)All people, regardless of their race, class, or gender, have the potential to become delinquents or criminals.
C)Criminal behavior is genetic, regardless of race, class, or gender.
D)Lower-class people, regardless of race or gender, are more prone to commit crime.

Question 15

Neutralization theory points out that:

A)criminal behavior is learned in much the same way that conformity is learned.
B)even the most committed criminals and delinquents are not involved in criminality all the time.
C)criminality is a product of weak self-concept and poor self-esteem.
D)law is differentially applied, benefiting those who hold economic and social power and penalizing the powerless.

Question 16

Social reaction theory suggests that:

A)crime occurs when the forces that bind people to society are weakened or broken.
B)only males have significant potential to become criminals.
C)crime is a learned behavior
D)people become criminals when significant members of society label them as such.

Question 17

_________ refers to a style of parenting with parents who are supportive and who effectively control their children in a non-coercive way.

A)Parent pathology
B)Low frequency parenting
C)Parental efficacy
D)Low coercion parenting

Question 18

All of the following family factors are associated with delinquency EXCEPT:

A)inconsistent discipline.
B)poor parental supervision.
C)non-coercive parenting.
D)drug abusing parents.

Question 19

When examining the relationship between delinquent peers and fear of punishment, ____ delinquent peers may outweigh the fear of punishment.

A)loyalty to
B)fear of
C)hostility from
D)skills learned from

Question 20

The process of _____ refers to moving in and out of delinquency or shifting between conventional and deviant values.

A)transfer
B)waft
C)drift
D)sway

Question 21

A competency hearing in which a person is declared "mentally ill," or a trial where someone in found to be a "rapist" are forms of __________ according to Harold Garfinkle.

A)successful demonizing rituals
B)successful shame rituals
C)successful stigmatizing ceremonies
D)successful degradation ceremonies

Question 22

__________ is a process whereby secondary deviance pushes offenders out of the mainstream of society and offenders begin their escalating cycle of deviance.

A)Reactive stigmata
B)Differential morality
C)Retrospective association
D)Deviance amplification

Question 23

Sutherland's research on crime led him to dispute the notion that crime was a function of the inherent inadequacy of people in the lower classes.

Question 24

The delinquent peer-crime relationship does not apply to popular kids because they are too busy to commit crime.

Question 25

Religious participation seems to be a more significant inhibitor of crime than merely having religious beliefs and values.

Question 26

The process of becoming stigmatized by crime labels is interactive. Labeling theorists blame the establishment of criminal careers on:

A)parents.
B)crime control agencies.
C)teachers.
D)the criminals themselves.

Question 27

Travis Hirschi states that the social bonds a person maintains with society are divided into four main elements. Which of the following is NOT one of these elements?

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

Question 28

Differential association theory holds that people learn criminal attitudes and behavior during their adolescence from close, trusted friends or relatives.

Question 29

According to learning theories, even corporate executives may be exposed to pro-criminal definitions and learn to neutralize moral constraints.

Question 30

The family-crime relationship is significant across racial, ethnic, and gender lines.

Question 31

Social process criminologists focus on socialization rather than the environment when explaining crime.

Question 32

In its purest form, __________ theory argues that even crimes such as murder, rape, and assault are only bad or evil because people label them as such.

A)social control
B)social reaction
C)social structure
D)social process

Question 33

Which of the following issues has been raised regarding the validity of social control theory?

A)Delinquency may lead to weakened social bonds, not vice versa.
B)Social control theory has never been empirically tested.
C)Social control theory applies primarily to lower-class youth and does not explain the criminal behavior of middle- and upper-class youth.
D)Social control theory relies too heavily on social relationships that are difficult to measure.

Question 34

The totality of research on the effect of dropping out of high school indicates one fact - high school dropouts face a significant chance of entering a criminal career.

Question 35

Travis Hirschi tested the principal hypotheses of social control theory. While evidence was strong and supportive, what is the most controversial aspect of Hirschi's conclusions?

A)Youths who are strongly attached to parents were less likely to commit crime.
B)Youths who were involved in conventional activities were less likely to engage in criminal behavior.
C)Youths who maintained weak, distant relationships with people tended toward delinquency.
D)Any form of social attachment is beneficial, even to deviant peers and parents.

Question 36

Social control theory suggests that people learn techniques and attitudes of crime from close relationships with criminal peers.

Question 37

The stronger a person's commitment to conventional institutions, individuals, and processes, the less likely they are to commit crime.

Question 38

The boyhood friend of a convicted murderer is interviewed by the media and reports that the offender was withdrawn, suspicious, and negativistic as a youth. This is an example of:

A)introspective reading.
B)retrospective reading.
C)enhanced reading.
D)reflective reading.

Question 39

Which of the following statements does NOT reflect labeling theory?

A)Labeling theory identifies the role played by social agents in crime causation.
B)Labeling theory recognizes that criminality is a disease or a pathological behavior.
C)Labeling theory distinguishes between criminal acts and criminal careers.
D)Labeling theory focuses attention on the social interactions and reactions that shape individuals and their behavior.

Question 40

According to Lemert, __________ involves norm violations or crimes that have little influence on the actor and, therefore, can be quickly forgotten.

A)primary deviance
B)secondary deviance
C)all criminal behavior
D)a moral lapse

Question 41

Discuss the key points of labeling theory and the consequences of labeling. Include in your discussion the concepts of primary and secondary deviance.

Question 42

A major premise of social reaction theory is that the law is differentially constructed and applied, depending on the offenders.

Question 43

Primary deviance involves resocialization into a deviant role and produces a deviance amplification effect.

Question 44

Discuss the association between delinquent peers and crime in general and within the context of social control theory.

Question 45

One of the most prominent social learning theories is differential association theory. Discuss the major assumptions and principles of this theory.

Question 46

Research indicates that people who are labeled with one positive trait are assumed to have other positive traits.

Question 47

Explain how one's socialization contributes to delinquent and criminal behaviors.

Question 48

How do religion and belief impact criminality?

Question 49

Discuss how dropping out of high school is associated with delinquency and crime.

Question 50

Travis Hirschi links the onset of criminality to the weakening of the ties that bind people to society. Identify and discuss the elements of the social bond and how they impede crime.

Question 51

Describe the major premises of the three branches of social process theory - social learning theory, social control theory, and social reaction (labeling) theory.

Question 52

The public policy effects of social process theories have been felt mainly by young offenders who are viewed as being more savable than hardened criminals.

Question 53

Discuss how social process theories have influenced public policy. Provide examples of policies and programs based on social process theories.

Question 54

Research affirms Hirschi's contention that delinquents are detached loners whose bonds to friends have been broken.

Question 55

Explain the influence of family relations on delinquency and crime.