Juvenile Delinquency Final Exam
questions and answers passed
Social disorganization (theory) - ANS ✔Rapid social change and physical deterioration have long
been associated w/the breakdown in community social control and consequently w/high rates
of delinquency;
Five structural characteristics that destroy traditional patterns of social life:
1. Density (many ppl in a small area)
2. Poverty
3. Mixed use (a combo of residence, industry, and retail)
4. Transience (ppl moving into and out of the area)
5. Dilapidation (physical deterioration of buildings)
anomie (theory) - ANS ✔(Merton) The normlessness that results when societal goals are
stressed to a much greater degree than are the institutionalized means for achieving those goals
institutional anomie (theory) - ANS ✔(Messner and Rosenfeld)
Both culture and social structure are important in explaining crime;
In terms of culture, the cultural goal of monetary success creates motivations to commit crime;
In terms of social structure, the dominance of the economy over other institutions weakens
these institutions in their social functions
strain (theory) - ANS ✔Anomie: refers to the imbalance between goals and institutional means,
in which the goal of monetary success is emphasis without clear normative standards for
achieving success.
, Strain: people experience strain when the accepted means for achieving success are unclear or
unavailable and they must adapt to this societal condition of anomie
Modes of adaptation to structurally induced strain:
1) Conformity = accepts cultural goals and accepts institutionalized means
2) Innovation = accepts cultural goals and rejects institutionalized means (strain that is most
related to crime in delinquency)
3) Ritualism = rejects cultural goals and accepts institutionalized means
4) Retreatism = rejects cultural goals and rejects institutionalized means
5) Rebellionism = both accepts and rejects both cultural goals and institutionalized means
general strain (theory) - ANS ✔(Robert Agnew) emphasizes the "strains" of adolescent life that
arise in the context of social interaction w/others. These strains are a motivation for
delinquency.
Considers three types of strain:
1) Strain resulting from the failure to achieve valued goals. (something they want)
2) Strain resulting from the loss of someone or something valued.
3) Strain resulting from negative treatment by others;
reaction formation (theory) - ANS ✔(Albert Cohen) Extension of Merton's strain theory;
Claimed that delinquency is ultimately caused by blocked goals, however, lower class boys are
not simply concerned w/the goal of monetary success;
Lower class boys often join gangs in order to deal with their collective problem of status
frustration experienced in schools. The delinquent subculture provides criteria of stat us that
lower class youth can meet, and delinquent gangs offer a social context in which lower class
boys can gain status. In a process called reaction formation, lower class boys in gangs develop
questions and answers passed
Social disorganization (theory) - ANS ✔Rapid social change and physical deterioration have long
been associated w/the breakdown in community social control and consequently w/high rates
of delinquency;
Five structural characteristics that destroy traditional patterns of social life:
1. Density (many ppl in a small area)
2. Poverty
3. Mixed use (a combo of residence, industry, and retail)
4. Transience (ppl moving into and out of the area)
5. Dilapidation (physical deterioration of buildings)
anomie (theory) - ANS ✔(Merton) The normlessness that results when societal goals are
stressed to a much greater degree than are the institutionalized means for achieving those goals
institutional anomie (theory) - ANS ✔(Messner and Rosenfeld)
Both culture and social structure are important in explaining crime;
In terms of culture, the cultural goal of monetary success creates motivations to commit crime;
In terms of social structure, the dominance of the economy over other institutions weakens
these institutions in their social functions
strain (theory) - ANS ✔Anomie: refers to the imbalance between goals and institutional means,
in which the goal of monetary success is emphasis without clear normative standards for
achieving success.
, Strain: people experience strain when the accepted means for achieving success are unclear or
unavailable and they must adapt to this societal condition of anomie
Modes of adaptation to structurally induced strain:
1) Conformity = accepts cultural goals and accepts institutionalized means
2) Innovation = accepts cultural goals and rejects institutionalized means (strain that is most
related to crime in delinquency)
3) Ritualism = rejects cultural goals and accepts institutionalized means
4) Retreatism = rejects cultural goals and rejects institutionalized means
5) Rebellionism = both accepts and rejects both cultural goals and institutionalized means
general strain (theory) - ANS ✔(Robert Agnew) emphasizes the "strains" of adolescent life that
arise in the context of social interaction w/others. These strains are a motivation for
delinquency.
Considers three types of strain:
1) Strain resulting from the failure to achieve valued goals. (something they want)
2) Strain resulting from the loss of someone or something valued.
3) Strain resulting from negative treatment by others;
reaction formation (theory) - ANS ✔(Albert Cohen) Extension of Merton's strain theory;
Claimed that delinquency is ultimately caused by blocked goals, however, lower class boys are
not simply concerned w/the goal of monetary success;
Lower class boys often join gangs in order to deal with their collective problem of status
frustration experienced in schools. The delinquent subculture provides criteria of stat us that
lower class youth can meet, and delinquent gangs offer a social context in which lower class
boys can gain status. In a process called reaction formation, lower class boys in gangs develop
