Social Structure Theory Analysis

Words: 709
Pages: 3
Open Document
When looking at the different types of social structures theories, it is important that we understand that social structure is the different environments that people are raised in as children and live in as adults (Schmalleger, 2012). The person environment includes the person family unit, friends, co-workers/co-students, peers, neighborhood, and social class. The connection between a person’s social structure and their criminal actions in life can be evaluated with three different social structure theories that are known as social disorganization theory, strain theory, culture conflict theory (Schmalleger, 2012).
We see that when we look at the social disorganization theory that holds a significant value in the individual and their environment …show more content…
When those that are from a disadvantaged social environment they the human drive for success, but their view of success may not be what the larger community see as success. Those that are not from a disadvantaged social environment can see success in life as getting a good job, meeting educational goals, and focusing on the productive social activity (Agnew, 2012). Those that come from a disadvantaged social environment may seek street credit, respect from those that are in their local community, by selling drugs, intimidating others using violence, or committing criminal activity to build their street credit. They maybe more focused on their status in their local community for their negative social actions than taking steps to improve their life by the social standing of the larger community by attempting to improve their lives by seeking education, better employment, or other positive social standards of the larger …show more content…
In the history of the United States, there has been a larger migration of different cultures that have led to a difference in the way that they conduct day to day activity (Portes, Parker, & Cobas, 1980). We see these social differences today with so many different groups such as those that are Muslims, Hispanics, and the black community. These cultures in the United States hold various cultural conflicts that the majority of the country, and a different understanding of what criminal activity is in the American society. We have seen in our history that the majority have passed laws that they see as keeping the minorities in their place such as the Jim Crow Laws that affected members of the black community from the time of the Civil War until the 1960’s. Over the past week, there has been a larger question of what place the Hispanic group is known as “Dreamers” have in our society. We also see more significant concern from the Christian Community is the implementation of Sharia law by the Muslim
Show More

Related Documents: Social Structure Theory Analysis

Essay on Structural Functionalism

functionalism, or simply functionalism, is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.[1] This approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms.[2] This approach looks at both social structure and social functions. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of…

Words 1477 - Pages 6

Criminological Theory Of Crime Essay

crime in any given society. While many theories differ quite drastically, there is a collection of criminological perspectives that revolve around a general basis of ‘social institutions’ and their subsequent effects on crime. For the purpose of this paper, two of these theories will be examined in further detail; Messner and Rosenfeld’s Institutional Anomie Theory and secondly, Sampson and Grove’s reprisal of the Social Disorganization Theory. Both of these theories, first published in their respective…

Words 483 - Pages 2

Theory: Sociology and Major Theoretical Perspective Essay

McIntosh Social Theory March 17, 2013 Theoretical Perspectives The major theoretical perspectives of sociology include symbolic interactionism, structural functionalism, conflict theory, ethnomethodology, dramaturgical analysis, exchange theory, world systems theory, and feminist theory. I am going to describe each topic by explaining the key concepts, the logic of the perspective, the macro and micro perspective, their major contributors, their most influential period, and social phenomena…

Words 1567 - Pages 7

The Main Ideas of Marxism, Functionalism and Internationalism Essay

Internationalism (social action theory). Are these ideas complementary or contradictory? Sociology is the academic study of individuals and groups in the society. Sociology is all about the ways in which people form the society which they live in and how being a member in society influences each of us in different ways. There are many different points of views in society. Sociology has to study in different perspectives to understand the society a lot better. From interpretation to social behaviour, sociologists…

Words 911 - Pages 4

Pierre Bourdieu's Theory Of Corruption In Nigeria

my research questions, I will deploy the theory of social action of Pierre Bourdieu (1997; 1990; 1992; 1998). With his concept of mental schemata, Bourdieu challenges the prevalent structure-agency dualism in social thinking as false antimony. He contends that mental schemata and social divisions are connected homologous structures, meaning that the latter is an embodiment of the former. Wacquant quotes Bourdieu thus, “Cumulative exposure to certain social conditions instils in individuals an ensemble…

Words 1001 - Pages 5

Society's Criminogenic Constitution: The Nature Of Crime

great contribution to the study of crime in America. Messner and Rosenfeld bring the analysis of societies’ institutions in their Institutional-Anomie Theory, further expanding on Merton’s anomie theory at a macro-level. Sampson and Grove elaborate on Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization theory, which instates that weak community links, lack of trust and lack of youth supervision can lead to destruction of social control and further lead to higher…

Words 303 - Pages 2

Essay about Sociology and Weber

Classical Sociological Theorists’ Approaches to One of the Dualisms that Craib Identified as Central to the Discipline of Sociology: Individual/Society; Action/Structure; Social Integration/System Integration; Modernity/Capitalism. Sophia Robson There are four fundamental dualisms, (as listed above) described by Craib, and every social theory developed must explain both sides of the dualism. (Craib, 1997: 7). In this essay, a comparison is made of Durkeim’s and Weber’s approaches to Craib’s first…

Words 2403 - Pages 10

Social Justice Theory Qualitative Research

Social Justice Theory: Qualitative Research and School Psychology Social justice theory in research encompasses a variety of approaches in which the goal of the research is to create changes in social systems, address important social issues, challenge oppressive systems, and identify inequities (Creswell, 2012; O’Connor & O’Neill, 2004). According to Creswell (2012), this framework is located within an interpretive stance and seeks to integrate the participants into the research process.…

Words 1490 - Pages 6

Essay about Sociology: Sociology and Functional Analysis

Horton Cooley, William I. Thomas, and George Herbert Mead. Functional analysis was introduced by Robert Merton. August Comet, Herbert Spencer, and Emile Durkheim were also proponents of functional analysis. This theory creates the idea that a society has many parts that all work as one single organism and everything in that organism must work together in order to work properly and efficiently. Unlike functional analysis, conflict theory brings in the idea that the society is composed of many groups, but…

Words 498 - Pages 2

150 Quiz 2 Essay

goals of communication theory: 1. Explain the effects of mass communication. Informing the public 2. Explain the uses to which people put mass communication 3. Explain learning from the mass media 4. Explain the role of the mass media in shaping people’s values and views Empirical school: Quantitative research & empiricism (basing knowledge on Observation & experiment). Effects of mass communication Critical school: emphasizes broader social structure in which communication…

Words 1445 - Pages 6