Question 1

According to Cohen, the development of the delinquent subculture is a consequence of socialization practices found in the ghetto or inner-city environment.

Accepted Answer

Cohen's theory suggests that delinquent subcultures arise as a response to the inability of lower-class youths to achieve success through conventional means, often due to socialization practices in disadvantaged environments.

Question 2

The view of general strain theory is that multiple sources of strain interact with an individual's emotional traits and responses to produce criminality.

Accepted Answer

General strain theory posits that various sources of stress or strain (such as failure to achieve goals, loss of positive stimuli, or presentation of negative stimuli) interact with an individual's emotional traits and coping mechanisms, potentially leading to criminal behavior as a way to escape from, reduce, or seek revenge for the strain experienced.

Question 3

Disjunction between expectations and achievements occurs when youths aspire to wealth and fame but lack the financial and educational resources to achieve their goals.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 4

Social disorganization theory links delinquency to middle-class measuring rods.

Accepted Answer

Social disorganization theory links delinquency to a community's inability to regulate conduct and maintain social order, not to middle-class measuring rods.

Question 5

The work of Cohen aids in explaining the factors that promote and sustain a delinquent subculture in that social forces, not individual traits, promote and sustain a delinquent career.

Accepted Answer

Albert K. Cohen's theory on delinquent subcultures suggests that social forces, particularly those related to class disadvantage and the inability of certain groups to achieve mainstream success, lead to the formation of delinquent subcultures. These subcultures create their own values and norms that often run counter to mainstream society, promoting and sustaining delinquent behaviors among their members.

Question 6

Merton argues that retreatists reject both the goals and the means of society.

Accepted Answer

Merton's strain theory outlines five modes of adaptation to societal goals and means, one of which is retreatism. Retreatists reject both the culturally approved goals and the institutionalized means of achieving them, often withdrawing from society's expectations.

Question 7

Differential association theory maintains that delinquency is motivated by political or legal processes.

Accepted Answer

Differential association theory, proposed by Edwin H. Sutherland, suggests that delinquency and criminal behavior are learned through interaction with others, focusing on the learning of values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behavior, rather than being motivated by political or legal processes.

Question 8

Social disorganization theory holds that delinquency is tied to the personal characteristics or culture of the residents as opposed to the neighborhood characteristics.

Accepted Answer

Social disorganization theory posits that delinquency is more closely related to the characteristics of neighborhoods, such as poverty, residential mobility, and ethnic heterogeneity, rather than the personal characteristics or culture of the residents.

Question 9

Research has found that crimes appear to be intergenerational, suggesting that parental deviance influences delinquent behavior.

Accepted Answer

Studies in criminology have shown that there is a significant correlation between parental criminal behavior and the likelihood of children engaging in delinquent activities, indicating that criminal behavior can indeed be intergenerational. This is attributed to a combination of genetic predispositions and environmental factors, including the modeling of behavior and the social and economic conditions associated with families with a history of criminal activity.

Question 10

An inner-city playground is covered in graffiti, the playground equipment is broken, and there are known drug dealers who traverse the playground; these factors suggest that community conditions contribute to the high delinquency rate found in the area.

Accepted Answer

The presence of graffiti, broken playground equipment, and drug dealers are indicators of social disorganization within the community, which is a theory that suggests such environmental conditions contribute to higher rates of delinquency and crime by weakening community ties and reducing social control.

Question 11

According to early versions of control theory, poor self-esteem produces maladaptive social relations, which in turn opens the door for a youth to engage in delinquent behavior; in other words, poor self-esteem is the trigger.

Accepted Answer

Early versions of control theory, particularly as articulated by Travis Hirschi in his Social Bond Theory, focus more on the strength of an individual's bonds to society (involvement, attachment, commitment, and belief) as deterrents to delinquency, rather than directly attributing delinquent behavior to poor self-esteem.

Question 12

Social theories have guided policy making since the 1960s; for instance, learning theories have influenced the way criminal offenders are dealt with and treated.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Social theories have guided policy making since...

Question 13

Street efficacy refers to the ability of communities to regulate the behavior of their residents through the influence of community institutions, such as the family and school.

Accepted Answer

Street efficacy actually refers to the perceived ability of a neighborhood to maintain social order and safety, often through informal social control and community cohesion, rather than through formal institutions like family and school.

Question 14

Regarding school effects on delinquency, research indicates that school climate does not negatively impact youth as much as academic failure. ​

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that both school climate and academic failure can significantly impact youth delinquency, but a negative school climate, characterized by a lack of safety, support, and engagement, can have a profound effect on increasing delinquent behavior among students, sometimes even more so than academic failure.

Question 15

The theory of the working poor is the view that lower-class people form a separate culture with their own values and norms somewhat similar to conventional society.

Accepted Answer

The theory of the working poor does not suggest that lower-class people form a separate culture with their own values and norms. Instead, it focuses on the economic and social challenges faced by individuals who have jobs but still live in poverty due to low wages and lack of benefits, not on a distinct cultural separation.

Question 16

Criminal behavior is considered more a rebellion against conventional society than as an expression of conformity to lower-class subcultural values and traditions according to social disorganization theory.

Accepted Answer

Social disorganization theory suggests that criminal behavior is more a result of a breakdown in the social institutions (such as family, school, and community) in certain neighborhoods, leading to an inability of these communities to control or prevent criminal activities, rather than being primarily an act of rebellion against conventional society or an expression of conformity to lower-class subcultural values.

Question 17

To offset moral constraints, youth develop a distinct set of rationalizations for engaging in delinquent acts.

Accepted Answer

Youth often develop rationalizations for engaging in delinquent acts as a way to offset moral constraints, allowing them to justify their behavior to themselves and others. This process is known as "techniques of neutralization," a theory proposed by sociologists Gresham Sykes and David Matza.

Question 18

According to strain theory there are two cultural forces running through the neighborhood that shape the delinquent's actions- decent values and street values.

Accepted Answer

Strain theory primarily focuses on the pressure individuals feel to achieve culturally approved goals, which may lead to deviance when they lack legitimate means. The concept of "decent values" and "street values" is more closely associated with Elijah Anderson's "Code of the Street," not strain theory.

Question 19

Communities That Care would be an example of social ecology theory in action.

Accepted Answer

Communities That Care (CTC) is an example of social ecology theory in action because it focuses on changing the social and physical environment to prevent youth problem behaviors, aligning with the theory's emphasis on the influence of multiple environmental factors on individual behavior.

Question 20

Social process theory takes the view that where one lives is more important than how one lives.

Accepted Answer

Social process theory suggests that an individual's behavior is shaped more by their interactions with others and their social environment, rather than simply by their location or where they live.

Quiz 4: Social Structure, Process, Culture, and Delinquency