Sociological Theorization

Deviance and Sociological Perspectives The current paper aims to discuss deviance in accordance with Structural Functional theory and Conflict Perspective theory. It is important to note that deviance is usually understood as a specific behavior, which seriously differs from the accepted social standards and mainstream trends. The deviance is especially noticeable in communication patterns and sexual life. There seems to be no doubt that deviance is present in any state due to the specific social laws discussed by the different theories (Ritzer 83-84).

The North Hanover Mall is an average shopping center with various stores and small attractions. Typically, the mall is not over-crowded; however, during the evenings and weekends it is well-traveled. There are the average chain stores such as JCPenny’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hallmark, and Bath and Body Works. Likewise, there are some smaller, lesser known stores, for example, a few nail and hair salons, cafes, a pizza shop, and a sports apparel store. In general, there is a diverse mix of people shopping, from ethnicity to ages and group sizes. The night I choose to do my social observation the mall was much busier than I had anticipated. There was a Halloween event and an antique car show; both circumstances brought more individuals than usual into the shopping complex.

This paper summarizes four theories of criminology. Rational choice theory states that criminals act based on a thought process that weighs the pros and cons of criminality. Criminologists who believe in this theory feel that most criminals are people capable of having rational thoughts before committing a crime. Trait theory is the view of criminology that suggests criminality is a product of abnormal biological or psychological traits. Criminologists who believe in this theory feel that criminals choose to commit crime because of a brain anomaly or chemical imbalance. Social structure theory is “a view that disadvantaged economic class position is a primary cause of crime” (Seigel 139). Those who follow this theory often believe social forces can have a great effect on whether or not a person commits a crime. An example would be those who are poor are more being more prone to commit crime. Social process theory is a view that criminality depends on how a person interacts with different organizations and institutions and processes in society. For example, a family would be considered

Sociological theories of crime contain a great deal of useful information in the understanding of criminal behavior. Sociological theories are very useful in the study of criminal behavior because unlike psychological and biological theories they are mostly macro level theories which attempt to explain rates of crime for a group or an area rather than explaining why an individual committed a crime. (Kubrin, 2012). There is however some micro level sociological theories of crime that attempts to explain the individual’s motivation for criminal behavior (Kubrin, 2012). Of the contemporary

The sociological discipline that deals with crime (behaviour that violates our laws) is known as criminology.

Comparing and Contrasting How the Three Sociological Theories View the World Steven Spears Southern New Hampshire University Abstract In the world of sociology, there are three views, the conflict, functionalist, and interactionist. Each theory can be used to view the world and its social structure. Though they can be considered independent, it behooves us to examine, additionally, the combining of these views to better elaborate on the social constructs we are witness to.

There are numerous perspectives that explain the sociological criminology theories and social process criminology theories that have essential roles with individuals who choose to commit crime. Social process criminology theory have social forces that affect individuals when it comes to committing crime. Whether the cause of behavior is learned through alcohol abuse, domestic violence or group affiliations, social process theory has an adversarial effect on criminal behavior. Social process theory stresses the importance of group involvement and socializing with non-criminal peers within the groups. Social process theorists believe that criminality is determined by a person’s participation within different individual group affiliations.

The aim of this essay is to compare, contrast and evaluate two sociological theories of crime causation and two psychological theories of crime causation.

The theories of sociological impact focus on external factors as they relate to crime, conversely, the previously studied theories focused on the internal factors (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). The external factors of crime have been noted as influences, including neighborhood organization, which create delinquency, moreover, criminal actions. These types of theories study the environment surrounding individuals to determine how they may influence crime. The majority of sociological theories share the same beginnings related to the works of Emile Durkheim who argued single individuals were not the cause of crime conversely society created the opportunities, if not incentive, for criminal actions.

Society consent that social behavior is a direct result of an outside source. With regards to this, there has been raging debates over the years about why individuals commit crimes, how crimes should be handled and deterred. This has led to emergence of a myriad of criminological theories that attempt to give a hunch on the cause of criminality behavior. The ongoing exploration of the possible cause of criminal behavior has been in the quest to seek the best remedies in ultimately reducing types and levels of crime. Criminological theory is the explanation of the relation between the characteristics of individuals and the likelihood that the will engage in criminal behavior (Akers, 2013; Lilly, Cullen & Ball, 2014).

From a sociological perspective, explanation for criminality is found in two levels which are the subculture and the structural explanations. The sociological explanations emphasize aspects of societal arrangements that are external to the actor and compelling. A sociological explanation is concerned with how the structure of a society, institutional practices or its persisting cultural themes affect the conduct of its members. Individual differences are denied or ignored, and the explanation of the overall collective behavior is sought in the patterning of social arrangements that is considered to be both outside the actor and prior to him (Sampson, 1985).

A sociologist would link the two correlated variables socialization and child abuse together and determine how it impacts a child’s social skills. Socialization is a process in which individuals learn to think and act in certain ways based on their social contact and skills. Child abuse occurs when a caregiver is negligent or abusive and cause’s emotional, mental, or physical harm to their children. According to a Miami University article, children that have been abused develop severe social (emotional and behavioral) problems. More than one third of abused children develop language delays (written and oral language is severely impacted) which negatively impacts the socialization of children.

Marriage is the approval of two families of mating arrangements and is usually carried out by having a ritual ceremony, for example when a man and woman gets married they have a wedding to celebrate. Family are a people that related by marriage, blood or adoption, for example, your cousins, brothers, sister or grandparents are all apart of your family.

The sociological theory suggests that the majority of people will conform to the community with which they are living. The family and educational structure can influence and even foretell a person’s inclination towards crime. For example, if a person lives in a community where the schools, neighborhoods, and other businesses and organizations are thriving economically and socially with order then the person will do the same. The person will be more likely to act in a way that is cohesive with the rest of the community. However, if the same organizations for any reason due to social or economic factors, suffer negative impact and disorder that the same person in that community will ultimately turn to negative solutions or crime for survival within the community.

The article being analyzed looks at the lack of consent in medical experiments as an ethical violation. According to Arthur Caplan, who heads the division of medical ethics at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, “research without consent absolutely should be the last resort” (Ungar 2015). However, in some cases, the decision is not as clear-cut. For example, at the University of Pittsburgh, there is a study that is testing the practice of giving patients plasma to help their blood clot when they are being transported to the hospital. In many cases, such patients are unconscious and do not give consent, but the administration of plasma can help save their lives. One of the strategies being applied is giving non-willing participants medical bracelets that will communicate to doctors for them not to be enrolled for medical experiments (Ungar 2015).