According to durkheims theory, which function does deviance not serve in society?
journal article Show European Sociological Review Vol. 20, No. 4 (Sep., 2004) , pp. 271-285 (15 pages) Published By: Oxford University Press https://www.jstor.org/stable/3559561 Abstract In the present paper, we study the social context of adolescent delinquency in order to examine Durkheim's theory of social order. We use survey data on urban adolescents in Iceland that allow us to examine key theoretical constructs on both the community and the individual levels of analysis. Our findings lend substantial support to the multi-level nature of Durkheim's concept of social integration. Using hierarchical linear regression, we show that both community and individual level social integration indicators have negative effects on adolescent delinquency, and that the experience of anomie mediates a substantial part of these effects. Furthermore, the multi-level context of social integration and anomie moderates the effect of imitation (peer delinquency) on delinquent behaviour. The findings highlight important sociological themes that have been neglected historically in scholarly traditions that have elaborated upon and extended Durkheim's theory of social order. Journal Information Tables of contents for recent issues of European Sociological Review are available at http://esr.oupjournals.org/contents-by-date.0.shtml. Authorized users may be able to access the full text articles at this site. European Sociological Review contains articles in all fields of sociology ranging in length from short research notes up to major reports. Publisher Information Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. OUP is the world's largest university press with the widest global presence. It currently publishes more than 6,000 new publications a year, has offices in around fifty countries, and employs more than 5,500 people worldwide. It has become familiar to millions through a diverse publishing program that includes scholarly works in all academic disciplines, bibles, music, school and college textbooks, business books, dictionaries and reference books, and academic journals. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Another framework sociologists use to understand the world is the structural functional theory. Its central idea is that society is a complex unit, made up of interrelated parts. Sociologists who apply this theory study social structure and social function. French sociologist Émile Durkheim based his work on this theory. Functions of DevianceDurkheim argued that deviance is a normal and necessary part of any society because it contributes to the social order. He identified four specific functions that deviance fulfills:
Strain Theory of DevianceSometimes people find that when they attempt to attain culturally approved goals, their paths are blocked. Not everyone has access to institutionalized means, or legitimate ways of achieving success. Strain theory, developed by sociologist Robert Merton, posits that when people are prevented from achieving culturally approved goals through institutional means, they experience strain or frustration that can lead to deviance. He said that they also experience anomie, or feelings of being disconnected from society, which can occur when people do not have access to the institutionalized means to achieve their goals.
Institutionalized Means to SuccessIn the 1960s, sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin theorized that the most difficult task facing industrialized societies is finding and training people to take over the most intellectually demanding jobs from the previous generation. To progress, society needs a literate, highly trained work force. Society’s job is to motivate its citizens to excel in the workplace, and the best way to do that is to foment discontent with the status quo. Cloward and Ohlin argued that if people were dissatisfied with what they had, what they earned, or where they lived, they would be motivated to work harder to improve their circumstances. In order to compete in the world marketplace, a society must offer institutionalized means of succeeding. For example, societies that value higher education as a way to advance in the workplace must make educational opportunity available to everyone. Illegitimate Opportunity StructuresCloward and Ohlin further elaborated on Merton’s strain theory. Deviant behavior—crime in particular—was not just a response to limited institutionalized means of success. Rather, crime also resulted from increased access to illegitimate opportunity structures, or various illegal means to achieve success. These structures, such as crime, are often more available to poor people living in urban slums. In the inner city, a poor person can become involved in prostitution, robbery, drug dealing, or loan sharking to make money. While these activities are clearly illegal, they often provide opportunities to make large amounts of money, as well as gain status among one’s peers. Reactions to Cultural Goals and Institutionalized MeansMerton theorized about how members of a society respond to cultural goals and institutionalized means. He found that people adapt their goals in response to the means that society provides to achieve them. He identified five types of reactions:
Merton’s Goals and Means Method of adaptation Cultural goals Institutionalized means Conformists Accept Accept Innovators Accept Reject Ritualists Reject Accept Retreatists Reject Reject Rebels Reject/Replace Reject/Replace What are the function of deviance in society according to Durkheim?Émile Durkheim believed that deviance is a necessary part of a successful society and that it serves three functions: 1) it clarifies norms and increases conformity, 2) it strengthens social bonds among the people reacting to the deviant, and 3) it can help lead to positive social change and challenges to people's ...
What are the 3 functions of deviance?Deviance has several functions: (a) it clarifies norms and increases conformity, (b) it strengthens social bonds among the people reacting to the deviant, and (c) it can help lead to positive social change.
What are the 4 functions of deviance?Deviance affirms cultural values and norms. Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries. Responding to deviance promotes social unity. Deviance encourages social change.
How does Émile Durkheim define deviance?Durkheim argues that even in a "society of saints" there would still be deviance. In other words, as deviance describes any behaviour that goes against the norms, values and expectations of a society, all societies have deviance, even though the sorts of behaviour considered deviant might vary from society to society.
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