Functionalism: Emile Durkheim
Question and answers rated A+
Crime and Deviance is functional - correct answer ✔A certain amount of
crime and deviance can be beneficial to society.
- To generate social change, can only come about if the old ideas are
challenged.
- Helps to clarify the boundaries of acceptable social behaviour following the
reaction of society to deviance
-Creates social integration, bonds society together against criminals
Crime and Deviance is dysfunctional - correct answer ✔It can also be a
threat to society. The norms and values are being challenged, thus
threatening consensus, social order and stability
Causes of Crime and Deviance - correct answer ✔Durkheim believed that
crime & deviance also acts as a result of anomie. He believed that this could
occur during periods of rapid social change. Modern example could be the
conflict in Ukraine caused by the breakdown of norms and values following
the protests against the corrupt government.
Social order & social control - correct answer ✔Within modern societies
there is a consensus over society's norms and values, which creates social
order and stable societies. This is because society's institutions successfully
implemented social control. For functionalist theorists social control is a
positive. An example of an agency at work is the education system, socialises
individuals into the shared norms and values of society
STRENGTHS - correct answer ✔Durkheim's work has served to create
further sociological research and influence other sociological theories on the
Question and answers rated A+
Crime and Deviance is functional - correct answer ✔A certain amount of
crime and deviance can be beneficial to society.
- To generate social change, can only come about if the old ideas are
challenged.
- Helps to clarify the boundaries of acceptable social behaviour following the
reaction of society to deviance
-Creates social integration, bonds society together against criminals
Crime and Deviance is dysfunctional - correct answer ✔It can also be a
threat to society. The norms and values are being challenged, thus
threatening consensus, social order and stability
Causes of Crime and Deviance - correct answer ✔Durkheim believed that
crime & deviance also acts as a result of anomie. He believed that this could
occur during periods of rapid social change. Modern example could be the
conflict in Ukraine caused by the breakdown of norms and values following
the protests against the corrupt government.
Social order & social control - correct answer ✔Within modern societies
there is a consensus over society's norms and values, which creates social
order and stable societies. This is because society's institutions successfully
implemented social control. For functionalist theorists social control is a
positive. An example of an agency at work is the education system, socialises
individuals into the shared norms and values of society
STRENGTHS - correct answer ✔Durkheim's work has served to create
further sociological research and influence other sociological theories on the
