Deck 10: Strain Theories

Question 1

What is the result when the structural features of a society create an uneven distribution of legitimate opportunities?

A)There will be a high rate of crime.
B)There will be pockets of instrumental crime.
C)Crime will be concentrated in the lower classes.
D)Crime will be concentrated in the upper classes.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to Bernard,strain in Merton's theory is best interpreted as which of the following?

A)a feature of the underclass
B)a feature of individuals
C)a property of social structures
D)a theoretically empty concept

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to Merton,which of the following best describes the accumulation of money and the status that results from it in America?

A)an illegitimate means
B)a culturally prescribed aspiration
C)a culturally approved means
D)a conventional means

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following best characterizes Durkheim's concept of "anomie"?

A)Anomie is solely a characteristic of associated with individuals.
B)Anomie is solely a characteristic of 19th-century societies.
C)Anomie exists when a society is characterized by normlessness.
D)Anomie is an established medical condition.

Question 5

Which term is used in Chapter 10 to refer to a condition in which an individual places more value on self-interest than on collective values?

A)relative deprivation
B)individualism
C)micro-anomie
D)anomie

Question 6

Which of the following terms refer to the patterned and relatively stable arrangement of roles and statuses found within societies and social institutions?

A)middle-class measuring rod
B)diffusion of responsibility
C)social structure
D)culturally prescribed aspirations

Question 7

According to Messner and Rosenfeld which of the following defines the American Dream?

A)individual achievement
B)material success
C)devoutness
D)wisdom

Question 8

According to Durkheim,why is it necessary for crime to exist in every society?

A)Crime is needed to define the boundaries of acceptable behaviour.
B)There are always some evil persons in every society.
C)Rules are made to be broken.
D)The criminal justice industrial complex relies on criminals for its livelihood.

Question 9

Which of the following is another term for anomie?

A)normalcy
B)normlessness
C)normfulness
D)normalness

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT an assumption underlying the consensus perspective?

A)Most people share similar values.
B)Morality is universal.
C)The law represents a consensus of societal values.
D)Criminal law reflects the interests of powerful groups that create and enforce those laws.

Question 11

Which of the following best represents the main assumption underlying the conflict perspective?

A)Criminal law is meant to quell conflict in society.
B)Criminal law reflects the interests of powerful groups that create and enforce those laws.
C)Criminal law reflects how crime is ultimately about conflict between individuals.
D)Criminal law is the result of conflict between legislators.

Question 12

The concept of anomie is central to the theories of which of these social scientists?

A)Durkheim
B)Kobrin
C)Cloward
D)Weber

Question 13

Chapter 10 argues that strain theory fits the overall orientation of the consensus perspective.Which of the following is a characteristic of strain theory that does NOT fit the consensus perspective?

A)Social institutions all contribute to the smooth running of society.
B)Those in positions of power ensure that these institutions reflect their interests.
C)Crime occurs when something unusual happens that affects these institutions.
D)Strains,stresses,and frustrations all affect one's behaviour and actions in society.

Question 14

According to Durkheim,which of the following is most essential to the well-functioning societies?

A)social solidarity
B)culturally prescribed aspirations
C)diffusion of responsibility
D)capitalism

Question 15

Crime is a symptom of the gap between culturally prescribed aspirations and the socially structured means for realizing them.Which of the following theories is associated with this statement?

A)social disorganization
B)strain
C)moral reasoning
D)social learning

Question 16

According to Merton's strain theory,which of the following best characterizes the "innovator"?

A)He/she believes in both the culturally defined goals and the legitimate means for goal attainment.
B)He/she believes in neither the culturally defined goals nor the legitimate means for goal attainment.
C)He/she does not believe in the culturally defined goals but does believe in the legitimate means for goal attainment.
D)He/she believes in the culturally defined goals but follows illegitimate means for goal attainment.

Question 17

Which of the following theorists originally adapted Durkheim's theory of anomie to America to explain the emergence of crime?

A)Merton
B)Merlin
C)Cloward
D)Sutherland

Question 18

According to Durkheim,which of the following is essential to stable societies?

A)heterogeneity
B)increased division of labour
C)social cohesion
D)strong political leadership

Question 19

For Merton,crime in America is the result of which of the following?

A)the socially structured means for reaching aspirations
B)the gap between culturally prescribed goals and socially structured means for reaching them
C)the overlap between socially prescribed goals and culturally structured means for reaching aspirations
D)the culturally prescribed goals of American society

Question 20

Which of the following characteristics of students did Konty find positively correlated with self-reports of criminal and deviant behaviour?

A)self-transcending values but not self-enhancing values
B)self-enhancing values and self-transcending values
C)self-enhancing values but not self-transcending values
D)neither self-enhancing values nor self-transcending values

Question 21

According to Cloward and Ohlin,young people who experience are at risk of becoming involved in different types of gangs or subcultures.Which of the following is NOT one of these gangs or subcultures?

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

Question 22

For Messner and Rosenfeld,which of the following is not only intrinsic to the American Dream,but also a principal reason behind crime in that country?

A)popular fame
B)individual achievement
C)equal opportunity
D)weak restraints on the means to achieve material success

Question 23

According to Chapter 10,why is corporate crime in North America a prime example of institutional-anomie?

A)It illustrates the weak restraints on the means to achieve wealth.
B)It illustrates how pathological people can rise up the corporate hierarchy.
C)It illustrates how the American Dream really only applies to those running corporations.
D)It illustrates how corporations are inherently criminogenic.

Question 24

According to Cloward and Ohlin,what did Merton's theory fail to take into account?

A)cultural perceptions of goals
B)cultural perceptions of means
C)differential legitimate goals
D)differential opportunities

Question 25

According to Chapter 10,strain theory complements which of the following other theories of crime?

A)social learning theory and group conflict theory
B)group conflict theory and control theory
C)differential association theory and social learning theory
D)control theory and differential association theory

Question 26

Which of the following contradicts the "code of the street"?

A)You must let others know you are willing to negotiate.
B)You must show nerve.
C)You must respond to aggression with aggression.
D)You must let others know how tough you are.

Question 27

Cloward and Ohlin's theory of illegitimate opportunity structures combined strain theory with which of the following theories?

A)differential association theory
B)social learning theory
C)social control theory
D)labelling theory

Question 28

Strain is more likely to lead to delinquency if certain conditions are present.Which of the following is NOT one of these conditions?

A)The strains are high in magnitude (e.g.a serious assault).
B)The strains are unjust.
C)The strains are linked to low social control.
D)The strains lead to unprofitable crimes.

Question 29

Which of the following best represents the main argument behind the Opportunity Structures perspective on strain and criminal behaviour?

A)People can participate in a given adaptation only if they have access to the means to do so.
B)The opportunity to commit crimes is there for most people.
C)The opportunity to commit crimes is there only for those experiencing strain.
D)Strain and opportunity structures are synonymous.

Question 30

Which of the following does Braithwaite recommend to reduce the strains caused by our coercive criminal justice system?

A)mutual conversion
B)reintegrative shaming
C)disintegrative shaming
D)early parole

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Messner and Rosenfeld's institutional-anomie theory?

A)The American Dream emphasizes monetary success,but places less emphasis on legitimate means of achieving that success.
B)Illegitimate means to achieve the American Dream encourages people to turn to crime.
C)The economy is more important than all over institutions.
D)The American Dream explicitly encourages people to turn to crime to make money.

Question 32

Which of the following best represents one of the contributions of anomie and strain theories in understanding crime in society?

A)It shifted focus away from sociological variables to psychological ones.
B)It shifted focus from psychological and genetic variables to sociological ones.
C)It shifted focus to the relationship between anomie,crime,and suicide.
D)It showed how crime can emerge in even stable societies.

Question 33

According to Chapter 10,what is one of the reasons that Japan has a lower rate of corporate crime compared to North America?

A)The Japanese do not use the free market system.
B)The family appears to rank higher on the hierarchy of institutions compared to economics.
C)Corporate crime is an executable offence.
D)There is little strain or anomie in Japanese culture.

Question 34

According to Cloward and Ohlin,which of the following adaptations has the fewest barriers to entry for working-class youths?

A)the passivist subculture
B)the criminal subculture
C)the retreatist subculture
D)the conflict subculture

Question 35

According to Messner and Rosenfeld's institutional-anomie theory,which institution dominates all others in America?

A)the family
B)the economy
C)religion
D)education

Question 36

Braithwaite argues that crime is most likely when exposure to illegitimate opportunities is high and exposure to legitimate opportunities is low.Based on this argument,which of the following initiatives would help to reduce crime in a low-income neighbourhood?

A)job creation for young people
B)an increase in community beautification projects
C)an increase in the number of police officers
D)amalgamating schools

Question 37

Criminologist Robert Agnew focuses on strain as a feature of which of the following?

A)small communities
B)organizations
C)individuals
D)large-scale societies

Question 38

According to Chapter 10,which of the following is NOT one of the ways to reduce crime by changing the behaviour of the elite?

A)Reduce unethnical behaviour by corporate executives.
B)Target the frequent acts of immorality in corporations and governments.
C)Screen corporate and political elite for signs of psychopathy.
D)Have the criminal justice system send a clear message to powerful people that some behaviours are simply wrong.

Question 39

It is well established that many African-American youth have been shut out of the mainstream economy due to racism.They are also disproportionately involved in gangs and drug trafficking.Which of the following theories best explains these two intertwined social problems?

A)social learning theory
B)differential association theory
C)strain theory
D)control theory

Question 40

Which of the following is a significant critique of Merton's strain theory?

A)It can only be applied to crimes committed by the socially marginalized.
B)It can only be applied to North American societies.
C)It helps account for social class differences in crime,but not gender differences.
D)It helps account for gender differences in crime,but not social class differences.

Question 41

According to Durkheim,when social cohesion breaks down and social isolation is great,society loses its traditional social control mechanisms and eventually suffers from a high rate of crime.

Question 42

According to Braithwaite,belonging to the lower class has more effect on delinquency for youth in lower-class areas than for youth in middle-class areas.

Question 43

According to Bernard,strain or anomie are properties of social structures,not of individuals.

Question 44

According to the Durkheim,crime is an abnormal feature of society since it takes away from the maintenance of stability.

Question 45

In Japan,one of the reasons the crime rate is lower is that the family appears to rank higher on the hierarchy of institutions and to be more influential relative to economics,compared to North America.

Question 46

According to the consensus perspective,the vast majority of a society's population shares similar values regarding right and wrong.

Question 47

According to Chapter 10,strain is more likely to lead to delinquency if the strain is perceived as unjust by the individual.

Question 48

The conflict and consensus perspectives on the relationship between crime and social structure are diametrically opposed to one another.

Question 49

Based upon Hackler's depiction of a morality curve,the textbook suggests that we must overlook frequent acts of unethical behaviour in commercial activities and instead focus on serious crimes.

Question 50

Agnew argues that strain is more a feature of individuals than societies or social groups.

Question 51

Microanomie is when entire social groups are in a state of anomie and place more emphasis on their own self-interest than contributing to the wider society.

Question 52

Anderson's "code of the street" highlights how the opportunity structure on Wall Street contributes to corporate crime.

Question 53

The gap between goals and the means to achieve these goals is constant across all portions of North American society.

Question 54

Merton's strain theory is helpful for explaining the lower crime rates of women.

Question 55

Since there are already weak restraints on the means to achieve monetary success,the inability of watchdog agencies and our justice system to respond effectively increases the likelihood of white-collar crime.

Question 56

Merton argues that crime is a symptom of the gap between culturally prescribed aspirations and the socially structured means for realizing those aspirations.

Question 57

Cloward's contribution to strain theory was to recognize that the leap from strain to deviance was contingent upon the opportunities available to the individual.

Question 58

Strain theory fits the general orientation of the conflict perspective.

Question 59

According to Braithwaite,crime is unlikely either when legitimate opportunities are high or when illegitimate opportunities are low.

Question 60

Messner and Rosenfeld's theory of institutional anomie argues that crime is a function of American society's emphasis on material wealth,but less emphasis on legitimate means of achieving that success.

Question 61

Define Durkheim's concept of anomie and explain the relevance of this concept for understanding crime in advanced societies.

Question 62

Outline the basic assumptions of Merton's strain theory.Describe how Merton's original theory was applied to America to explain crime in that country.

Question 63

What is meant by the term "subculture of power abuse"?  Provide a Canadian and an American illustration of this term.

Question 64

Contrast the different assumptions about society made by conflict and consensus perspectives of crime.Which do you think is most accurate when applied to Canada?

Question 65

Describe what Hackler means by "moving the morality curve to the left" as a means of reducing crime in our society. Provide illustrations.

Question 66

Based on the writings of Braithwaite,would an increase in class heterogeneity in neighbourhoods lead to an increase or decrease in crime? Explain your answer.

Question 67

Describe how the criminal subculture,the conflict subculture,and the retreatist subculture described by Cloward and Ohlin are responses to the goal-means gap associated with Merton.

Question 68

Summarize Agnew's perspective on strain.How does it differ from the theory of Massner and Rosenfeld.

Question 69

Explain Bernard's thesis that strain or anomie are properties of social structures.

Question 70

According to Braithwaite,what causes crime among the upper classes and what can be done to reduce it?

Question 71

Describe Messner and Rosenfeld's theory of institutional anomie.

Question 72

Describe how Anderson's "code of the street" is relevant to strain theories presented in Chapter 10.

Question 73

Explain how strain theory converges with other theories of crime.

Question 74

The policy implications of strain theory have been tested in the real world.Describe programs and projects that have employed a strain theory rationale,at least in part.What have been the implications of the results of these programs for strain theory?

Question 75

Summarize Cloward's contribution to theories about the relationship between individual strain and criminal behaviour.