stratified society
People grouped according to economic or social class; characterized by the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige.
social class
Segment of the population whose members are at a relatively similar economic level and who share attitude, values, norms, and an identifiable lifestyle.
culture of poverty
A separate lower-class culture, characterized by apathy, cynicism, helplessness, and mistrust of social institutions such as schools, government agencies, and the police, that is passed from one generation to the next.
underclass
The lowest social stratum in any country, whose members lack the education and skills needed to function successfully in modern society.
social structure theory
The view that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime. Encompasses three independent yet overlapping branches: social disorganization theory, strain theory, and cultural deviance theory.
social disorganization theory
1 of the 3 branch of social structure theory that focuses on the breakdown in inner-city neighborhoods of institutions such as the family, school, and employment.
strain theory
1 of the 3 branch of social structure theory that sees crime as a function of the conflict between people's goals and the means available to obtain them.
strain
The anger, frustration, and resentment experienced by people who believe they cannot achieve their goals through legitimate means.
cultural deviance theory
1 of the 3 branch of social structure theory that sees strain and social disorganization together resulting in a unique lower-class culture that conflicts with conventional social norms.
subculture
A set of values, beliefs, and traditions unique to a particular social class or group within a larger society.
transitional neighborhood
An area undergoing a shift in population and structure, usually from middle-class residential to lower-class mixed-use.
concentration effect
As working-class and middle class families flee inner-city poverty-ridden areas, the most disadvantaged population is consolidated in urban ghettos
anomie theory
The view that anomie results when socially defined goals (such as wealth and power) are universally mandated but access to legitimate means (such as education and job opportunities) is stratified by class and status.
institutional anomie theory
The view that anomie pervades US culture because the drive for material wealth dominates and undermines social and community values.
American Dream
The goal of accumulating material goods and wealth through individual competition; the process of being socialized to pursue material success and to believe it is achievable.
relative deprivation
Envy, mistrust, and aggression resulting from perceptions of economic and social inequality.
general strain theory (GST)
The view that multiple sources of strain interact with an individual's emotional traits and responses to produce criminality.
negative affective states
Anger, frustration, and adverse emotions produced by a variety of sources of strain.
focal concerns
Values, such as toughness and street smarts, that have evolved specifically to fit conditions in lower-class environments.
cultural transmission
Process whereby values, beliefs, and traditions are handed down from one generation to the next.
delinquent subculture
A value system adopted by lower-class youths that is directly opposed to that of the larger society.
status frustration
A form of culture conflict experienced by lower-class youths because social conditions prevent them from achieving success as defined by the larger society.
middle-class measuring rods
The standards by which authority figures, such as teachers and employers, evaluate lower-class youngsters and often prejudge them negatively.
reaction formation
Irrational hostility evidenced by young delinquents, who adopt norms directly opposed to middle class goals and standards that seem impossible to achieve.
differential opportunity
The view that lower-class youths, whose legitimate opportunities are limited, join gangs and pursue criminal careers as alternative means to achieve universal success goals.
community disorder
1 of the 6 theories of the Social Ecology School of criminology that states Crime rates are associated with community deterioration. Abandoned buildings serve as a "magnet for crime." Slumlord properties are home to highest violent crime rate.
community fear
1 of the 6 theories of the Social Ecology School of criminology that states the physical conditions of the neighborhoods and the crime that is associated with the neighborhood leave neighbors fearing the potential of being victimized.
siege mentality
1 of the 6 theories of the Social Ecology School of criminology that states ______ often results in an expanding mistrust of social institutions, including business, government, and schools. Government officials seem arrogant. The police are believed to ignore crime and, when they do take action, they use excessive force.
poverty concentration
1 of the 6 theories of the Social Ecology School of criminology that states as working-class and middle-class families flee inner-city poverty-ridden areas, the most disadvantaged population is consolidated in urban ghettos.
collective efficacy
1 of the 6 theories of the Social Ecology School of criminology that states social control exerted by cohesive communities and based on mutual trust, including intervention in the supervision of children and maintenance of public order.
ecologists, community deterioration, economic, community deterioration
Contemporary social _______ developed a purer form of structural theory that emphasizes the association of _______ and _______ decline with criminality. Social ecology school criminologists associate crime rates and the need for police services with _________.
1, 35, 46, 23,000, 15, 80
Stratified US: top __ percent of households now own more than __ percent of all privately held wealth. __ million Americans living in poverty, defined as Family of four earning about $________ per year. __ percent of wealth is left for the bottom __ percent.
Structure, social forces, behavior
According to social ______ theorist, it seems logical that if crime rates are higher in lower-class urban centers than in middle-class suburbs, ______ must influence or control _______.
Structure, socioeconomic, mainstream culture, crime, substance abuse
According to the Social _______ Theory, the root cause of crime can be traced directly to the ________ disadvantages that have become embedded in American society. Because they lack ties to the ________, some lower-class people are driven to desperate measures, such as ________ and __________, to cope with their economic plight
frustration, anger
Strain theorists view crime as a direct result of _______ and _______ among the lower socioeconomic classes. Poor individuals use differential opportunity--drug dealing, robbery, etc.--to achieve their goals.
Social disorganization theory, Shaw, McKay
________ was popularized by the work of two Chicago sociologists, Clifford ______ and Henry ______.