GOOD AFTERNOON!

SOCIAL
DISORGANIZATION
THEORY
Let’s answer this question!

What kind of
relationship do
you have with
your
neighbor? Do
you have a
strong bond
with them?
SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION
THEORY
• Developed by Clifford Shaw and Henry Mckay in 1942
• Theoretical perspective: Conflict

According to this theory, the weakening of the social bonds

leads to ‘social disorganization,’ and social disorganization
is the main cause of the crimes in society.
SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION
• A state of disequilibrium and a lack of social solidarity or consensus
among the members of a society (Durkheim, n.d)
• A sudden influx of a large number of people in and out of a
neighborhood, creates a pathological environment that contributes
more to crime than the deviant behavior of abnormal individuals
(Shaw & Mckay, 1969)

About the Theory:

• Crime rates are higher in neighborhoods with a higher proportion of lower-
income residents and those with a higher concentration of ethnic minorities.
• Focused the study on poverty, mobility, population status and heterogeneity as
the factors influencing criminal behavior.
Shaw and Mckay’s supporting research:

• High number of crime rates have crowded neighbor, struggling

financially, lack of facilities, socio-economically deprived, family
disruption and high concentration of ethnic minorities.
• Residential turnover or mobility and diversity causes constant
change in the environment of a person that lives there.
• Large number of population makes it harder to have social
control.
• Social disorganized neighborhoods tend to produce “criminal
tradition” that can be passed on from generation to generation.
• The social disorganization theory associates human
behavior with the surroundings, i.e., people’s decisions are
consciously or unconsciously dependent upon the area
where he/she lives.
• The Social disorganization theory looks at poverty,
unemployment and economic inequalities as root causes of
crime.
 Poverty
WEAK
SOCIAL
Mobility/re BOND
sidential
turnover LOSS OF
SOCIAL
Ethnic CONTROL SOCIAL DIS-
heterogeneity ORGANIZATION

High
population
rate
CRIME
 KEY CONCEPTS IN SOCIAL
DISORGANIZATION THEORY
• There is a strong link between crime and poverty.
• Social disorganization theory specifies that several variables—
residential instability, ethnic diversity, family disruption, economic
status, population size or density, and proximity to urban areas—
influence a community's capacity to develop and maintain strong
systems of social relationships.
LIMITATIONS OF SOCIAL
DISORGANIZATION THEORY
Many poor, disadvantaged neighborhoods have low crime
01 rates, while wealthy neighborhoods show high delinquency
rates.

02 Migration is not necessarily bad.

03 Spatial discrimination