Thread by @michelle_furlow

Good morning! Tomorrow, 6pm, cst, we are taking a look at social class, crime, and the #AmericanDream.

Do YOU believe in the American Dream?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Good evening, all! In tonight's discussion, we are going to take a look at one of the oldest variables in regards to criminal behavior ... social class.

Before we get started, did YOU vote in today's Primary Elections? #Vote #PrimaryDay

I did! #Vote #PrimaryDay #CivicEngagement

I've updated the grade book for Unit 02, so keep an eye on your grades, I'm happy to answer any questions.

Let's jump into #StrainTheory #CulturalDeviance #CRJ105

We are changing gears in how we understand crime.

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

The biological and psychological theories of criminal behavior share the assumption that such behavior is caused by some underlying physical or mental condition that separates the criminal from the noncriminal

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

Which means that up to to this point, we have really been looking at the INDIVIDUAL offender, the potential offender's unique choices, biological, and psychological traits

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

Biological and psychological theories do NOT explain ...

~why crime rates vary from one neighborhood to the next,
~from group to group,
~within large urban areas,
~or within groups of individuals

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #Fail

Sociological theories seek the reasons for differences in crime rates in the social environment.

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

These theories can be grouped into three general categories:
~strain,
~cultural deviance,
~and social control.

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

So grab your cup of tea, pull up your notebook to take some notes, grab a pencil to jot down questions, let's start to take a look at how we develop throughout our lives & how we interact with our environment

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

As a thinking exercise, pull out a sheet of paper.

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

Write down 3 - 5 defining traits about your personality.

#CRJ105 #SocialStructure #StrainTheory

Seriously, think about it. Write it down. I'll be happy to wait.

#CRJ105 #SocialStructure #StrainTheory

For me, I'd include:
~ Friendly
~ Hardworking
~ Patriotic
~ Duty-driven
~ Compassionate
~ Has AWESOME office mate

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

THINKING CHALLENGE: What forces in your life were most influential in shaping your personality?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

For me, personally, I am friendly & compassionate because of my supportive family

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure #UghMomDoNOTShareMyPhoto

The reason I ask you to consider this exercise is that we are going to explore the concept of #Socialization

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

Socialization examines how our life experiences and interactions help us develop as an individual

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

An individual isn't BORN with particular traits that make them more likely to break the law

(ahem biological & psychological trait theory, we're looking at you!)

rather ... we are shaped into criminal choices by interactions with our environment

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

Some common forces and institutions that shape our development:

Family! The individuals with whom you spend formative years and influence your life as an adult

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

THINKING CHALLENGE: When describing your "family", do you think of ...

#MoraineValley #CRJ105

Family may be biological, it may be social, and often changes throughout the duration of our life.

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

Another influence on many individual's socialization is their education. This may be related to the chosen curriculum, but also school performance is linked to self-esteem and sense of life opportunity

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

Institutional involvement is extremely formative for many individuals. This may be as formal as a religious practice or even an informal membership of shared values & norms

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

Most certainly, who we spend our time with, our chosen friends, say a lot about who we are as a person.

Who is that friend that always pushes you to do better?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

We will examine family, friends, faith, & education as sources of socialization ... but where we are going to start ...

how does your community & social class affect your lifestyle, life choices, and criminality?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

Sociological theories seek the reasons for differences in crime rates in the social environment.

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure #SocialClass

A social class is a set of concepts centered on models of social stratification, in which people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure #SocialClass

The most common distinctions being the upper, middle and lower classes

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

THINKING CHALLENGE: How does your social class affect your lifestyle?

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

One way of studying a society is to look at its component parts in an effort to find out how they relate to one another.

In other words, researchers look at the structure of a society to see how it functions

#MoraineValley #CRJ105 #SocialStructure

“Strain theory,” the name given by contemporary criminologists to Merton’s explanation of criminal behavior, assumes that people are law-abiding but when under great pressure will resort to crime

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Strain theory sees delinquency as a form of adaptive, problem-solving behavior, usually committed in response to problems involving frustrating and undesirable social environments.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Strain makes the argument that access to money may not buy happiness, but it makes a lot easier

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

THINKING CHALLENGE: I'd much rather to be ...

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

THINKING CHALLENGE: Do you know that ONE really good looking friend who seems like life just a little easier for him/her because of their good looks?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Strain theory argues that life, in general, just goes a little easier for people who have money. Sure, they have problems, but not problems they can't solve!

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

FOLLOW-UP THINKING CHALLENGE: The most common representation of the values of the middle class is the #AmericanDream.

Do you believe you have access to the American Dream? @CPD1617Scanner

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Do you believe all Americans have EQUAL access to the American Dream?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

What does the American Dream mean to YOU?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Merton suggested that #anomie involved a disjunction between legitimate goals, which everyone desires, and socially approved means to success, which are not equally available to all members of society.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

IN OTHER WORDS, not everyone does have the same access to the American Dream, and we all react / adapt differently to the stress of trying to achieve it

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Individuals’ responses depend on their attitudes toward the cultural goals and the institutional means of attaining those goals. The options are

~conformity,
~innovation,
~ritualism,
~retreatism,
~and rebellion.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Merton’s theory was developed to explain deviance in general, not just crime, and point out that the academic community’s views on grand theories has shifted since Merton’s time.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

THINKING CHALLENGE: Can Merton's Strain Theory explain why wealthy people break the law?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Do people with means & financial resources EVER experience stress?

What is a non-financial form of stress?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Sociologist Robert Agnew substantially revised Merton’s theory in order to provide a broader explanation of criminal behavior.

The reformulation is called general strain theory

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

THINKING CHALLENGE: What is the most frustrating to you, personally?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

General strain theory explains the range of strain-producing events from the mundane to the highly aggravating

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

General strain theory explains the range of strain-producing events:
•Strain caused by failure to achieve positively valued goals.
•Stress caused by the removal of positively valued stimuli from the individual.
•Strain caused by the presentation of negative stimuli

THINKING CHALLENGE: Can you recall a time that you failed to achieve a positively valued goal?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

THINKING CHALLENGE: Can you think of an example of when reality failed to meet your expectations?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

THINKING CHALLENGE: Can you think of a time when you lost of positively valued stimuli?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

THINKING CHALLENGE: Can you recall an example when presence of negative stimuli promoted bad behavior?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Strain theory has helped people develop a crime-prevention strategy.

#CRJ105 #Strain

If, as the theory says, frustration builds up in people who have few means for reaching their goals, it makes sense to design programs that give people a bigger stake in society

#CRJ105 #Strain

Scholars associated with the University of Chicago in the 1920s became interested in socially disorganized Chicago neighborhoods

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #SocialDisorganization

Robert Park and Ernest Burgess advanced the study of social disorganization by introducing ecological analysis into the study of human society

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #SocialDisorganization

Park and Burgess examined AREA characteristics instead of criminals for explanations of high crime rates.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #SocialDisorganization

Park and Burgess developed the idea of natural urban areas, consisting of concentric zones extending out from the downtown central business district to the commuter zone at the fringes of the city

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #SocialDisorganization

Shaw and McKay demonstrated that the highest rates of delinquency persisted in the same areas of Chicago over the extended period from 1900 to 1933, even though the ethnic composition changed

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #SocialDisorganization

The crucial factor was not ethnicity but, rather, the position of the group in terms of economic status and cultural values

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #SocialDisorganization

The evidence clearly indicated to them that delinquency was socially learned behavior, transmitted from one generation to the next in disorganized urban areas. This phenomenon is called cultural transmission.

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #SocialDisorganization

Although their work has had a significant impact, social ecologists have not been immune to challenges

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #SocialDisorganization

Whether a person becomes law-abiding or criminal, then, depends on contacts with criminal values, attitudes, definitions, and behavior patterns

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #DifferentialAssociation

The social influences that people encounter determine their behavior

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #DifferentialAssociation

THINKING CHALLENGE: Who has been most influential in teaching you values, skills, behaviors?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #DifferentialAssociation

Much of the criticism stems from errors in interpretation. Several scholars have asked whether the principles of differential association really explain all types of crime

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #DifferentialAssociation

THINKING CHALLENGE: Which do you think is more influential in determining access to criminal options?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #DifferentialAssociation

Differential association theory suggests that there is an inevitability about the process of becoming a criminal. Despite these criticisms, the theory has had a profound influence on criminology

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #DifferentialAssociation

Differential association theory is based on the learning of criminal (or deviant) norms or attitudes. Culture conflict theory focuses on the source of these criminal norms and attitudes

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #CultureConflict

Next Tuesday, we will continue our look at #CulturalDeviance, #SubculturalTheories, and #CultureClash, culminating in our look at Chicago Street Gangs

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #CulturalDeviance #CultureConflict

As we've concluded Chapter 05, what theory would you like more clarification?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #Chapter05 #Strain #CulturalDeviance

As we've concluded Chapter 05, what theory seems to make the most sense explaining crime?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #Chapter05 #Strain #CulturalDeviance

And the BIGGEST question all across the greater Chicagoland area ... can you cheer for the cross town rivals??

@barstoolchicago @CPD1617Scanner @chicagosprts @Super70sSports @morainevalley
#CRJ105 #Criminology

We are at the hour mark! Where does this time go?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

How would you grade our discussion today?

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

And if you made it this far, send me your best picture of what 'the American Dream' means to you!

#CRJ105 #MoraineValley #SocialStructure #Strain

Thanks again. Here's a helpful link to unpack this discussion

@UnrollHelper