Question 1

______ is characteristic of modern societies in which there is a high degree of occupational specialization.

Accepted Answer

Organic solidarity is characteristic of modern societies where individuals have a high degree of occupational specialization and interdependence. In contrast, mechanical solidarity is associated with traditional societies where individuals share similar values, beliefs, and customs. Natural solidarity is not a recognized concept in sociology. Communal solidarity refers to a sense of community and belonging within a group, but it is not specific to modern societies with high occupational specialization.

Question 2

According to the tenets of institutional anomie theory, which of the following would be a useful policy goal?

Accepted Answer

D

Question 3

According to Merton's strain theory, a youth who responds to difficulties in school by ______ has engaged in conformity.

Accepted Answer

According to Merton's strain theory, conformity is a response to difficulties and pressures by continuing to adhere to cultural goals and societal norms, even if it means adopting unconventional means to achieve them. In this scenario, studying harder in an effort to succeed is an example of continuing to adhere to the cultural goal of academic success through conventional means.

Question 4

______ refers to the breakdown of the power of informal community rules to regulate conduct.

Accepted Answer

Social disorganization refers to the breakdown of the power of informal community rules to regulate conduct, which can contribute to high levels of crime and deviance within a community. This can occur when there is a lack of social cohesion and a breakdown in community institutions, such as schools, churches, and community organizations, which can lead to a lack of collective efficacy and increased levels of social disorder.

Question 5

According to Cohen, the real problem to overcome is ______, not blocked opportunity.

Accepted Answer

Cohen's theory of delinquent subcultures emphasizes the importance of status frustration, or the feeling of anger and resentment experienced by lower-class youth who feel that their lack of status prevents them from achieving mainstream cultural goals. Cohen argued that these individuals turn to deviant subcultures as a means of achieving status and recognition within their own social group. Therefore, according to Cohen, the real problem to overcome is status frustration, not blocked opportunity.

Question 6

Walter Miller suggested that ______ is/are part of a value system and lifestyle that has emerged from the realities of life on the bottom rung of society.

Accepted Answer

Walter Miller referred to focal concerns as part of a value system and lifestyle that emerged from the realities of life at the bottom rung of society. Focal concerns include toughness, street smarts, trouble, excitement, fate, autonomy, and masculinity, and they are used by individuals from lower-class backgrounds to adapt to their environment. The other options, status frustration, short-run hedonism, and modes of adaptation, are also concepts in subcultural theory, but they do not relate specifically to Miller's idea of focal concerns.

Question 7

A particular student wants to do well in school, but never seems to be able to earn higher than a D.In pursuit of academic success, the student begins to cheat on exams.This is most consistent with which form of adaptation in Merton's theory of strain?

Accepted Answer

The student's desire to do well in school is consistent with the cultural goal of success, but their inability to achieve it through legitimate means creates strain. By resorting to cheating, the student is engaging in innovation, which involves accepting the goal of success but finding illegitimate ways to achieve it. Conformity involves accepting both the goal and means of society, rebellion involves rejecting the cultural goal and creating new means, and retreatism involves rejecting both the goal and means of society and withdrawing from it.

Question 8

According to Cohen, difficulty adjusting to middle-class measuring rods can lead to

Accepted Answer

According to Cohen, difficulty adjusting to middle-class measuring rods can lead to status frustration, which is the feeling of being stuck between lower-class values and middle-class aspirations, leading to delinquent behavior as a way of gaining status and respect from peers.

Question 9

According to Messner and Rosenfeld, what is the answer to the high crime rate in the United States?

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Messner and Rosenfeld, what is...

Question 10

Walter Miller's theory of focal concerns was based on the premise that

Accepted Answer

Walter Miller theorized that lower-class values are not simply a rejection of middle-class values, but rather they should be understood on their own terms. Miller's focal concerns include toughness, excitement, autonomy, smartness, fate, and trouble. These concerns are specific to lower-class culture and are not necessarily negative or deviant in themselves. Therefore, the correct choice is D.

Question 11

______ exists in small, isolated, and self-sufficient pre-state societies in which individuals share common values and develops strong emotional ties to the collectivity.

Accepted Answer

The concept of "mechanical solidarity" refers to a type of social cohesion that exists in traditional, pre-modern societies characterized by small, isolated, self-sufficient communities where individuals share a common culture and values. In these societies, social cohesion is maintained by the similarity and interdependence of the individuals in the group, and people develop strong emotional ties to the collectivity.

Question 12

Identify the theorist(s) known for suggesting that crime is a normal and inevitable social phenomenon.

Accepted Answer

Emile Durkheim articulated the perspective that crime is a normal and inevitable social phenomenon in his work on the functions of deviance in society. He argued that deviance serves important social functions, including reminding society of its moral boundaries and reinforcing solidarity among law-abiding citizens.

Question 13

According to Cloward and Ohlin, individuals who are born into an established and organized delinquent subculture join ______ gangs.

Accepted Answer

Cloward and Ohlin argue that individuals born into an established and organized delinquent subculture are most likely to join criminal gangs, which are focused on economic gain through illegal activities.

Question 14

With which theory is Robert Agnew associated?

Accepted Answer

Robert Agnew is associated with the general strain theory, which explains how individuals who experience strain, such as negative emotions or the inability to achieve goals, are more likely to engage in deviant behavior.

Question 15

Which term did Emile Durkheim coin to refer to normlessness, or a lack of rules, within society?

Accepted Answer

Emile Durkheim coined the term "anomie" to refer to normlessness or a lack of rules within society. He believed that this state of social instability could lead to feelings of disillusionment and purposelessness, particularly among individuals who were unable to achieve their goals within the existing social framework.

Question 16

The first criminological theory to be developed in the United States was the human ecology theory, which came out of what was known as the ______ school.

Accepted Answer

The human ecology theory was developed by criminologists at the University of Chicago, hence the nickname "Chicago school." This theory focused on the study of the physical and social environments in which crimes occur.

Question 17

Within Walter Miller's framework of focal concerns, ______ refers to the belief that the locus of control is external to oneself.

Accepted Answer

According to Walter Miller's theory of focal concerns, some of the key values that guide behavior in lower-class subcultures include fate, trouble, toughness, and excitement. Fate refers to the belief that one's destiny is pre-determined or controlled by external factors, rather than being determined by one's own actions. This belief in an external locus of control is a key characteristic of lower-class subcultures and is reflected in their attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, the best choice for the question is C) fate.

Question 18

If crime is caused by a breakdown of informal social controls, which of the following would be the most effective way to reduce crime?

Accepted Answer

Increasing collective efficacy is the most effective way to reduce crime because it focuses on strengthening informal social controls within a community. Collective efficacy refers to a community's shared belief in their ability to control and prevent crime by working together. By increasing trust and cooperation among community members, informal social controls can be strengthened, leading to a reduction in crime. Providing coping strategies may be helpful for individuals, but it does not address the root cause of crime. Increasing economic opportunities and decommodification may also be helpful, but they do not directly address the breakdown of informal social controls.

Question 19

Which of the following theorists is credited with the idea that strain results from a disjunction between goals and the legitimate means of attaining them?

Accepted Answer

Robert Merton is credited with the strain theory, which posits that individuals become deviant when they experience a disjunction between their goals and the legitimate means of attaining them. This theory states that individuals resort to illegitimate means when they cannot reach their goals through legitimate means, leading to deviant behavior.

Question 20

Identify the theorist(s) known for positing that just as there are barriers to achieving legitimate success, there are also barriers to achieving illegitimate success.

Accepted Answer

Cloward and Ohlin argued that just as there are barriers to achieving legitimate success, there are also barriers to achieving illegitimate success. They expanded upon Merton's theory of strain by suggesting that access to illegitimate means is not uniformly available to all individuals in society.

Quiz 6: Social Structural Theories