Ecological theory (15):
SOCIAL ECOLOGY is the term used by the Chicago School to describe
the interrelationships of human beings and the communities in which
they live. Social ecology encapsulates the environmental forces that
have a direct influence on human behaviour.
Ecology studies the relationship between the organism and its environment.
Social ecology is the study of peoples and institutions in relation to the
environment.
The term ‘‘social ecology’’ refers to a type of research that examines the
following:
o various geographical areas within cities, communities, and
neighbourhoods.
o the area concentrations, regularities, and patterns of social life in fields
such as work/leisure, health/sickness, and conformity/deviance.
The three variables that are central to ecological theory are
o poverty,
o mobility of residents and
o racial heterogeneity.
These independent variables generate social disorganisation which, in turn,
contributes to crime and misconduct.
These theories attempt to explain why crime rates are high in areas
characterised by urban decay.
In such environments, there is a high turnover of residents, large-scale
unemployment, and many broken and troubled families (who frequently require
welfare intervention).
Such a socially disorganised environment obviously does not provide essential
services such as proper education, healthcare and housing; This means that the
key social control agents in these society can no longer function properly.
It is important that the community has the means to control crime itself.
Social organisation is maintained when a group is committed to certain social
rules, but when this commitment diminishes and breaks down (e.g. when a
significant number of people leave the community and/or the community’s
composition changes frequently), social control obviously declines.
Research has shown that the social context of an environment has a significant
influence on the incidence of misconduct and crime.
Densely populated urban environments that show signs of decay perpetuate
social disorder which, in turn, weakens residents’ ties with both their primary
groups (family and peer groups) and the community.
There is a lack of social support, and it is social support that integrates and
involves the community in conventional social institutions such as the school,
religious activities and family.
Instead of a sense of community, there is a feeling of alienation, which means
that residents become psychologically distanced from the surrounding
community.
Furthermore, the general sense of anonymity makes people more susceptible to
criminal behaviour.
Today greater use is made of more complex statistical models to determine the
influence of urban ecological conditions on crime patterns. Criminologists now
SOCIAL ECOLOGY is the term used by the Chicago School to describe
the interrelationships of human beings and the communities in which
they live. Social ecology encapsulates the environmental forces that
have a direct influence on human behaviour.
Ecology studies the relationship between the organism and its environment.
Social ecology is the study of peoples and institutions in relation to the
environment.
The term ‘‘social ecology’’ refers to a type of research that examines the
following:
o various geographical areas within cities, communities, and
neighbourhoods.
o the area concentrations, regularities, and patterns of social life in fields
such as work/leisure, health/sickness, and conformity/deviance.
The three variables that are central to ecological theory are
o poverty,
o mobility of residents and
o racial heterogeneity.
These independent variables generate social disorganisation which, in turn,
contributes to crime and misconduct.
These theories attempt to explain why crime rates are high in areas
characterised by urban decay.
In such environments, there is a high turnover of residents, large-scale
unemployment, and many broken and troubled families (who frequently require
welfare intervention).
Such a socially disorganised environment obviously does not provide essential
services such as proper education, healthcare and housing; This means that the
key social control agents in these society can no longer function properly.
It is important that the community has the means to control crime itself.
Social organisation is maintained when a group is committed to certain social
rules, but when this commitment diminishes and breaks down (e.g. when a
significant number of people leave the community and/or the community’s
composition changes frequently), social control obviously declines.
Research has shown that the social context of an environment has a significant
influence on the incidence of misconduct and crime.
Densely populated urban environments that show signs of decay perpetuate
social disorder which, in turn, weakens residents’ ties with both their primary
groups (family and peer groups) and the community.
There is a lack of social support, and it is social support that integrates and
involves the community in conventional social institutions such as the school,
religious activities and family.
Instead of a sense of community, there is a feeling of alienation, which means
that residents become psychologically distanced from the surrounding
community.
Furthermore, the general sense of anonymity makes people more susceptible to
criminal behaviour.
Today greater use is made of more complex statistical models to determine the
influence of urban ecological conditions on crime patterns. Criminologists now
