Topic Summaries

Functionalist perspectives of crime

A-Level > Sociology > AQA > A Level Sociology Topic Summaries > Crime and deviance > Functionalist perspectives of crime
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Exam overview
  • Functions of crime: 👤 Durkheim (1938) argues crime is inevitable because not everyone is equally socialised and because modern society has complex norms. Crime can reinforce boundaries, promote social change, and create social cohesion during crises.
    • Overlooks harm to victims, doesn’t explain why some commit more crime than others.
  • Strain theory: 👤 Merton (1938) sees crime as the result of a strain between cultural goals and the means to achieve them. Individuals adapt through conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism, or rebellion.
    • Explains utilitarian crime but ignores non-utilitarian and group crime.
  • Subcultural theory: 👥 Cloward and Ohlin (1960) argue that different subcultures respond to blocked opportunities in different ways: criminal subcultures provide an organised illegal economy, conflict subcultures form in disorganised areas, and retreatist subcultures focus on drug use.
    • Overly deterministic and ignores individual choice.
  • Status frustration: 👤 Cohen (1955) argues that working-class boys experience status frustration due to failure in the education system and turn to delinquent subcultures that reverse mainstream values.
    • Focuses on males and ignores female delinquency.

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