Social Disorganization Theory By Shaw And Mckay - 1058 Words

Social disorganization theory was established by Shaw and Mckay (1942) in their famous work â€Å"Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas†. The main argument of the social disorganization theory is that, the place where people live will influence the individual’s behavior, and this may lead them to crimes. More precisely, certain characteristics of the neighborhood/community will strengthen or weaken the informal social control within the community, and this has mediating effect on crimes. In 1925, Park et al. published a study of the city of Chicago, focused on its industrialization and urbanization. They found out that the industrialization changed labor, economics and adolescence of the youngers. The immigration who came to the city were†¦show more content†¦Hence, as they argued, delinquency was not constitutional, but was to be correlated with the particular ecological environment in which it occurs. Therefore, it was highly possible that the ethnic diversity interferes with communication among individuals from different ethnic backgrounds because of their different culture and customs, as well as the lack of shared experiences. This would possibly lead to the fear, mistrust, even conflict within the community, and therefore, increased the crime/delinquency rates. They also advocated the influence and determination of the criminal subculture by saying that this problematic subculture would promote the delinquency and worsen the situation. However, this generation of social disorganization theory did not define what â€Å"social disorganization† was, which was nearly unacceptable. Moreover, they only used official data of delinquency in their research, which had obvious middleclass bias, and overlooked social stratification. Besides these, this generation of social disorganization theory could not explain why many people in the Zone II did not commit crime and only a small fraction of whom committed most of the crimes, aka â€Å"good boy in the bad neighborhood† problem. Kornhauser (1978) criticized this social disorganization theory and indicated that the cultural transmission was problematic. If the crime could be cultured, then it could be organized, it could promote itself,Show MoreRelatedSocial Disorganization Theory By Clifford Shaw And Henry D. Mckay1056 Words   |  5 PagesSocial Disorganization Social disorganization theory explains the ecological difference in levels of crime, simply based on cultural and structural factors that influence the social order in a given community. Social disorganization is triggered by poverty, social stability, ethnic heterogeneity, and a few key elements. Although Clifford Shaw and Henry D. McKay (1942), were known for social disorganization theory, in 1947 Edwin Sutherland introduced the notion of a ecological differences in crimeRead MoreEssay about Social Disorginization theory 1296 Words   |  6 PagesShaw and McKay (1942) focused their research on the rapidly expanding city of Chicago Illinois in the early 1900’s. Cullen and Agnew (2011) stated that the population of Chicago expanded from 1 million people in 1890 to double that size within 20 years. According to Cullen and Agnew (2011) it was in this era of rapid expansion that researches begin to think differently about crime. Cullen and Agnew (2011) stated that the researche rs began to think that the understanding of crime may not be foundRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency And Urban Areas1557 Words   |  7 PagesIn 1942, Clifford Shaw and Henry D. McKay produced Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas, which aimed to explain crime in urban communities using social disorganization theory. Elliot and Merrill (1934) define social disorganization as â€Å"a breakdown in the equilibrium of forces, a decay in the social structure, so that old habits and forms of social control no longer function effectively† (p.20). Using this definition and the ecological approach, Shaw and McKay argue that low economic status, ethnicRead MoreThe Social Of Crime And Criminal Behavior882 Words   |  4 Pagesthroughout the last two centuries. Many theories, such as the social disintegration theory, have been hypothesized to explain the effects of certain neighborhoods on crime. In addition, other theories have been presented, such as the collective efficacy theory, whic h serve to explain the reasons for reduced crime in other neighborhoods while presenting possible solutions to solve the problem of crime in society. This paper will explore these two theories and how they not only help explain but alsoRead MoreThe Sociological Examination Of Crime862 Words   |  4 Pagescoming up with multiple social theories. Gavin states that psychologist suggest that those who commit crimes have â€Å"individual differences† that â€Å"make it more likely than some people to commit crimes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and that these social theories say that these crimes are a result of â€Å"the breakdown in social structures†. One of the first social theories that was introduced came about in 1938 by Merton, his theory is known as Strain Theory. Gavin goes on to define Strain Theory as the â€Å"social structures exert pressuresRead MoreSocial Disorganization : How Does It Affect Me And The Community That I Live?758 Words   |  4 PagesSocial Disorganizati on; what is it? How does it affect me and the community that I live in? For many years’ residents in their particular community fought crime the best way they knew how. Some call the police, some protected their clan and yet others simply watch it happen, praying that they are not the next victim. So how do people stop crime when the police are nowhere around? Who can the residents turn to? The answer is simple; they turn to their neighbors. DISCUSSION: Shaw and McKay view forRead MoreThe Effects Of Urbanization, Industrialization, And Immigration On The Chicago Neighborhood Essay1521 Words   |  7 Pagesdeveloping criminal theories. The top professors of the sociology department studied in France and Germany where there is an emphasis placed on the social influence in human behavior by using official records, such as court and welfare records, as well as individual case histories (Panzarella Vona, 2013). During the early 1900s, researchers from the University of Chicago wanted to explore the effects of urbanization, industrialization, and immigration on patterns of social organization in ChicagoRead MoreThe Theory Of Social Disorganization Theory Essay1369 Words   |  6 Pagesneighborhood. Although various theories can be used in order to explain the link between poverty and crime, the one that best fits would be social disorganization theory. Social disorganization theory is a theory, which emphasizes environmental impacts of living in neighborhoods that are high in crime and also stresses that this is the reason that criminal activity increases (Tibbetts Hemmens, 2015). The Chicago school theory is otherwise known as the theory of social disorganization as well. Chicago wasRead MoreSocial Disorganization Theory Stemmed from The Polish Peasant in Europe and America by W.I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki1322 Words   |  6 PagesMany of the theories and perspectives we have in criminology and sociology today have stemmed from the infamous sociology department, otherwise known as the â€Å"Chicago School†. Its emphasis on studying people and the natural interactions they have with their surroundings has led to the extensive examination of numerous neighbourhoods within Chicago. Social disorganization theory was one of the many theories that developed from this ecological thinking. It sought to identify the social problems thatRead MoreFactor Affecting the Presence of Crime in Inner Cities of America788 Words   |  4 Pagessingle theory, it is possible to recognize the characteristics within society that have traditionally been associated with crime. These include poor neighborhoods, weak family structures and high rates of unemployment. However, they cannot be used to explain overarching mechanisms of extremely high rates of American urban crime today. Social structures as well as cultural conditions play strong explanatory roles in describing the causes of crime in American cities. Some prominent social structural