Sociological Theories
This theory sees society as a stable system in which social institutions work together to maintain equilibrium.
What is Functionalism?
Term coined by Edwin Sutherland describing crimes committed by respectable individuals during the course of their occupation—often involving fraud, embezzlement, or corporate deception.
What is white-collar crime?
The standard requiring guilt to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt
What is burden of proof?
This psychological trait allows people to recognize and respond to the feelings of others, which can reduce criminal behavior and encourage prosocial actions.
What is empathy?
Founder of sociology who emphasized positivism—the belief that society can be studied using scientific methods.
Who is Auguste Comte?
Robert Merton expanded on Durkheim by arguing that deviance occurs when culturally approved goals cannot be achieved through legitimate means
What is Strain Theory?
Any behavior that violates a norm, whether formally or informally enforced.
What is deviance?
This is the stage in the criminal justice process where a suspect is formally informed of the charges against them and enters a plea.
What is arraignment?
This type of personality, characterized by impulsivity, lack of guilt, and disregard for social norms, is often studied in criminology to understand chronic offending.
Answer: What is psychopathy?
This theorist argued that society is driven by class conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, shaping economic and social life.
This theory argues that individuals become deviant not because of their behavior, but because certain behaviors are labeled as deviant by society. Once labeled, people may internalize the label and act according to it, creating a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”
What is Labeling Theory?
This theory argues that individuals commit crimes after carefully weighing potential risks against rewards.
What is Rational Choice Theory?
Punishment intended to discourage others from committing crimes.
What is general deterrence?
This part of the personality, according to Freud, operates on the pleasure principle and seeks immediate gratification of basic desires and impulses.
What is the id?
This French sociologist studied suicide as a social phenomenon, distinguishing between egoistic, altruistic, anomic, and fatalistic types to demonstrate how social integration and regulation influence behavior.
Who is Émile Durkheim?
This criminological theory proposes that crime and deviance are more likely to occur in communities with weak social institutions, high residential mobility, poverty, and low community cohesion, because the breakdown of social bonds makes informal social control less effective. What theory is this?
What is Social Disorganization Theory?
This term refers to crimes in which the victim is chosen because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, or other group identity.
What is a hate crime?
This Latin term in criminal law refers to the “guilty mind” or the mental state a person must have while committing a crime in order to be held legally responsible.
What is mens rea?
This part of the personality represents internalized societal norms and morals, guiding the individual to act ethically and feel guilt or shame for wrongdoing.
What is the superego?
This sociologist compared everyday social interactions to a stage, where people perform roles to control how others perceive them.
Who is Erving Goffman?
According to this theory, social norms are learned and reinforced through everyday interactions, and deviance occurs when individuals adopt behaviors from groups whose norms conflict with mainstream society.
What is Differental Association Theory?
This term describes norms that are so strongly held that violating them results in severe social or legal punishment, like murder or theft.
What is taboo?
This principle requires that all evidence in a criminal trial must be legally obtained and admissible in court, ensuring that defendants are not convicted based on illegally gathered evidence.
What is the exclusionary rule?
This psychological concept describes the process by which repeated experiences can reduce emotional responsiveness to certain behaviors, potentially making individuals more likely to engage in them.
What is desensitization?
This sociologist expanded on functionalism and argued that social institutions and norms can create tension between cultural goals and institutionalized means, leading to innovation, ritualism, retreatism, or rebellion.
Who is Robert Merton?