CATEGORIZING

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF
CRIME CAUSATION

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
INTRODUCTION
• In this chapter, sociological theories of crime
causation will be discussed.
• It explains how a certain individual acquires criminal
or undesirable behaviour, it describes how the agents
of socialization such as family, environment, schools,
mass media and peer groups contribute or affect the
behaviour of a specific individual; and it would also
somehow manifest as to how a person responded or
reacted with regards to the conduct displayed by other
persons whom he or she is socializing with.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• The subfields of sociological theories are:
1) social structure theories – suggest that social
and economic forces operating in deteriorated
lower-class areas push many of their residents
into criminal behaviour patterns.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Social structure has three (3) major branches
such as:
a) social disorganization theory,
b) strain theory, and
c) cultural deviance theory.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Another subfield of sociological theory is
2) social process theories – which hold that
criminality is a function of individual
socialization.
• Social process theories also have three (3)
major branches, such as:
a) social learning theory,
b) social control theory, and
c) social reaction theory.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
SOCIAL STRUCTURE THEORIES

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
Social Disorganization Theory
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
• Expound the concept of social disorganization;
and
• Analyze when shall transitional neighbourhood
happen.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Social Disorganization Theory was created
by Chicago-based sociologists Clifford R.
Shaw (1895-1957) and Henry D. Mckay
(1899-1980) who link crime rates to
neighbourhood ecological characteristics.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Social disorganization theory views crime
ridden neighborhoods as those in which
residents are trying to leave at the earliest
opportunity. Residents during this time are not
interested anymore when it comes to
community matters.
• That is why the common sources of control
such as the family, business community and
social service agencies become weak and
disorganized.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
Concentric Zone Theory
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
• Discuss the core concept of concentric zone
theory; and,
• Discuss the five (5) concentric circles mentioned
in the theory and relate it in today’s generation.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Concentric Zone Theory was pioneered by
Chicago School sociologists Ernest W. Burgess
(1886-1966) and Robert E. Park (1864-1944).

• The areas of heaviest concentration of crime

appeared to be the transitional Inner-city
zones, where large numbers of foreign-born
citizens had settled.
• The zones farthest from the city’s center had
lower crime rates.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
Five Concentric Zones:
• Zone I (Central Business District): It is where hotels,
offices, businesses, other commercial activities are in;

• Zone II (Zone of Transition): Gray zone,

Tendency to conversion of land uses.
Immediately adjacent to the CBD, it is an area
that may be slated for expansion if the business
is good. In this zone land and properties are
held for speculation purposes;

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Zone III (Lower Income working People):
Homes/slums;

• Zone IV (High Income Residence): White

Collar/Middles class families;

• Zone V (Commuter Zone): People’s who work in

the center, choose to live the suburbs.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
Anomie Theory
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
• Summarise the concept of anomie theory; and,
• Differentiate mechanical solidarity from organic
solidarity.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• David Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), a French
sociological introduced the term “anomie”, which
derived from the Greek a nomos which means
without norms.

• Anomie most likely occurs in societies that are

moving forward mechanical to organic solidarity.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Mechanical Solidarity is defined as a
characteristics of pre-industrial society, which is
held together by nations, shared values, and
unquestioned beliefs.
On the other hand:
• Organic Solidarity refers to post-industrial system
of society, in which the place is highly developed
and dependent upon the division of labor and
people are connected by their interdependent
needs for each other’s services and production.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• However, with all these saying, Durkheim
maintains that crimes are not only normal for
society but are necessary.
• Without crime there could be no evolution in
law as cited in.
• For example, on the issue regarding the spread of
those pornographic videos, victims before found it
difficult to file charges against the suspect that’s
why the House of Congress created Republic Act
9995 also known as the “Anti-Photo and Video
Voyeurism Act of 2009.”

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
Strain Theory
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
• Paraphrase the concept of strain theory;
• Demonstrate the Merton’s Mode of Adaptation;
and,
• Evaluate the concept of strain theory.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• American sociologist Robert K. Merton (1910-
2003) applied Durkheim’s ideas of anomie to
criminology.
• He holds that crime is a function of the conflict
between the goals people have and the means they
can use to legally obtain that goals.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Merton develop what he called social adaptation
to explain that although some people have
inadequate means of attaining success; other
people who have the means reject societal goals
as being unsuited to them.
• Below are Merton’s five (5) mode of adaptation.
• The plus (+) sign means acceptance, negative (-)
sign means rejection and + means substituting
alternative goals.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
 Modes of Cultural Goals Institutionalized Means
Adaptation
1. Conformity + (Acceptance) + (Acceptance)
2. Innovation + (Acceptance) - (Rejection)
3. Ritualism - (Rejection) + (Acceptance)
4. Retreatism - (Rejection) - (Rejection)
5. Rebellion + (Substitution of + (Substitution of
Alternative Goal and Alternative Goal and
Means) Means)

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
Here are the discussions of the above-mentioned
Merton’s Modes of Adaptation:
• First is CONFORMITY – in which the individual
accepts both conventional goals and means.
Accordingly, conformity is the common mode of
adaptation for those balance and stable society.
Example: Topie wants to be a policeman that is
why despite of poverty he serves as working
student in order to attain his dream.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Second is INNOVATION where the individual
accepts the goals but rejects the legitimate means
of attaining them.
This is the mode of adaptation followed by those
law violators because the success of those
criminal shows that innovative means work
better and faster than conventional one.
Example: Mr. Z wants to become rich instead of
selling fruits and vegetables in the marker choose
to selling prohibited drug such as shabu.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Third is RITUALISM wherein an individual rejects
the goal but have legitimate means of attaining
them.
Ritualism gain pleasure from practicing
traditional ceremonies regardless of whether
they have a real purpose or goal.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
Example: When we apply it to a specific conduct
in school, those who are sleeping while the
teacher is conducting lecture is a ritualism.
Why? Because, the students reject the positive
goal to listen the discussion but their means are
positive, since they did not disturb others.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• Fourth is RETREATISM, from the root word
“RETREAT” means to withdraw or surrender.
It is otherwise known as the escapist mode, in
which the individual tends to reject both the
goals and means of the society.
Example: Miss Soy after discovering that her
boyfriend was with another girl experienced
extreme jealousy thereby committed suicide
leading to her death.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
• REBELLION is the fifth in which the individuals
involved in substituting an alternative set of goals
and means for conventional ones.
Those revolutionaries who wish to promote
radical change in the existing social structure
and calls for alternative lifestyles, goals, and
beliefs are example of this.

JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP
JESIEBEL T. AYUSIP