Chapter 7:

1. Chapter 7: Sociological Theories of Delinquency

2. Another chapter about theories of what causes juvenile delinquency? So far we�ve covered biological, psychological, and other areas of theory that have one thing in common: they all seek to explain deviant behavior with causes that are specific to an individual. They consider personal characteristics to be the genesis, or beginning point, of deviant behavior.

3. Sociological theories consider factors like biology and psychology when seeking the cause(s) of juvenile delinquency, but they don�t stop there. Sociological theories also focus on the interaction of an individual with his or her social environment, and how those interactions relate to an individual�s criminal tendencies. We will cover four types of sociological theory: Social Structure, Social Process, Subcultural and Social Reaction.

4. Social Structure During the early 20th century [1900s], as a result of the Industrial Revolution, America experienced many changes like urbanization, when the agrarian (rural, agricultural) population moved to the cities in pursuit of factory jobs- -that was their American Dream. - As the population of the cities grew rapidly, early sociologists noticed that there were some patterns to how they developed; Ernest Burgess compared the development to ripples in a pond, circles continually growing out from the center.

5. Social Disorganization Burgess inspired other early sociologists like Clifford Shaw & Henry McKay. Shaw & McKay decided that if Burgess was right about cities growing & changing constantly, all the social instability (or change) would eventually have a negative effect on the population. They also observed that cities at this time were very likely to grow faster than their social infrastructure would allow. Suddenly, there would not be enough police to enforce the laws, or enough fire trucks to respond to all the fires.

6. Social Disorganization (2) Both of these factors: prolonged social instability and lack of normative social controls contribute to the development of Divergent Systems of Values. For example, if a person steals a loaf of bread to feed their children, is it morally wrong?

7. Social Process Theories deal with the way a group develops its standards for labeling behavior as normal, or deviant. Learning theories are social theories that look at deviant behavior as something we learn from the example of others: friends, family, influential [media or cultural] figures� Anomie is a factor in some social process theories. Anomie, or normlessness, is a sense of lonely discontent an individual develops during time of rapid social change. When a person doesn�t know what to expect, and feels alone, she or he tends to behave in different ways.

8. Social Control Theories look at crime from a different angle: Why don�t we all break the law? Social Control Theories seek to show a relationship between our connections with others, and how those connections affect our behavioral choices. By identifying the things that stop most from breaking laws, sociologists could see differences in the social position and interactions of juvenile delinquents. What stops you from breaking the law?

9. Subcultural Theories(or, theories about subcultures) Differential opportunity theory states that when an individual is denied access to normative social opportunities, he or she will attempt to achieve the same social results as those with normal opportunities, through deviant means. Collective efficacy is the collective belief a group has about its ability to achieve a goal. What groups in modern America have low collective efficacy?

10. Social Reaction Theories examine the effects of others� reactions to our past behaviors, on our future likelihood of repeating those behaviors. Labeling Theory says that if a person is continually labeled as �bad�, they will begin to identify themselves as �bad�, and will then act that way. Shaming Theory concerns itself with the possible success of using shame as a punishment, rather than traditional punishments like jail time or fines. Would you rather pay a $350 fine for shoplifting Chapstick on a whim, or wear a sign for a month that says �I SHOPLIFTED AN 89 CENT TUBE OF CHAPSTICK AND GOT CAUGHT!� If you knew what the punishment would be ahead of time, would one of those be more likely to stop you from putting the Chapstick in your pocket?