Emile Durkheim
Emile Durkheim’s approach to studying crime was to look at social institutions and structure. He genuinely believed that crime is normality to society, just like birth and death. If all people and institutions in a society had the same values and the same opportunities to reach mutual goals, crime would cease to exist. Durkheim provided both positive and negative impact on theories such as Strain Theory, Labeling Theory, and Control Theory within sociology.
In order to first understand Emile Durkheim’s contributions to the contours of Strain order as a result of the loss of standards and values.” Society is said to be in a state of anomie when the common rules no longer exists. Therefore, rewards are not distributed the same as they had been before and there are no longer limits on what people want. This causes the system to “break down.” Years later, Robert Merton would come along and use Durkheim’s definition of “anomie,” yet instead of it having to do with social change; it had to do with people’s equal chances at obtaining the same goals. This concept ultimately becomes what criminologists refer to as “Strain Theory.” Strain theory is defined as “a criminological theory positing that a gap between culturally approved goals and legitimate means of achieving them causes frustration that leads to criminal behavior.” In Merton’s five modes of adaptation, I found Durkheim’s theory of anomie to be best found in the mode of innovation. In such, people may use criminal activity to obtain certain societal goals rather than simply conforming and using the path society maps out for them.
Labeling Theory is defined as “a theory that explains deviance in terms of the process by which a person acquires a negative identity, such as “addict” or “ex-con,” and is forced to suffer the consequences of outcast status.” The labeling theory emphasizes that society’s reactions to
In order to first understand Emile Durkheim’s contributions to the contours of Strain order as a result of the loss of standards and values.” Society is said to be in a state of anomie when the common rules no longer exists. Therefore, rewards are not distributed the same as they had been before and there are no longer limits on what people want. This causes the system to “break down.” Years later, Robert Merton would come along and use Durkheim’s definition of “anomie,” yet instead of it having to do with social change; it had to do with people’s equal chances at obtaining the same goals. This concept ultimately becomes what criminologists refer to as “Strain Theory.” Strain theory is defined as “a criminological theory positing that a gap between culturally approved goals and legitimate means of achieving them causes frustration that leads to criminal behavior.” In Merton’s five modes of adaptation, I found Durkheim’s theory of anomie to be best found in the mode of innovation. In such, people may use criminal activity to obtain certain societal goals rather than simply conforming and using the path society maps out for them.
Labeling Theory is defined as “a theory that explains deviance in terms of the process by which a person acquires a negative identity, such as “addict” or “ex-con,” and is forced to suffer the consequences of outcast status.” The labeling theory emphasizes that society’s reactions to