CJUS P200 Dr.

Brauer
Exam #2 Study Guide

The second exam covers specific etiological theories of crime that we have covered since the first exam. To do
well on this exam, you will need to know the basics of each theory (e.g., what are their major assumptions; what
are the primary causal mechanism(s); what are the primary independent, mediating, and moderating variables;
etc.). You will also need to know how these different theories relate to each other (e.g., what does one theory add
that others do not address; how are theories similar or different in their assumptions, variables, and mechanisms).
You should also be able to describe how each theory might explain the various correlates of crime discussed in
the first part of class (e.g. prior criminality, criminal peer associations, sex, age, etc.)

*Remember, you are responsible for all of the material covered in the lectures, readings, and videos since the first
exam. This study guide is meant to serve as a basic outline of things I think you should know, not necessarily a
comprehensive list of test material. In addition to reading and reviewing the lecture slides, I also recommend you
study the key terms and discussion questions at the end of each reading, watch and identify the main arguments
from the assigned videos, and use the study materials (e.g., flash cards) available at the book publisher’s website.

Social Disorganization Theories

• What causal factors does social disorganization theory primarily focus on to explain crime rates?
• In what city was social disorganization theory initially developed and geared towards understanding?
o What historical and cultural factors made this city particularly interesting for early American
sociologists and criminologists to study?
• Park and Burgess’s Concentric zone model
o What are the different “zones” within a city? What are the characteristics of the different zones?
Which zone should have the highest crime rate? Why?
• Understand the basics of the following theories:
o Shaw and McKay’s Social Disorganization Theory
 Where in the city do criminals/delinquents live? What are the social conditions associated
with high crime/delinquency areas? What is concentrated disadvantage?
 What happened to crime rates after migration patterns resulted in major demographic
changes in the populations of inner-city areas? What do these findings suggest?
 What are the causal mechanisms through which social disorganization might lead to high
crime rates?
o Sampson’s collective efficacy

Subcultural Theories
• What causal factors do subcultural theories primarily focus on to explain law violating behaviors?
• What are the important elements of a subculture?
o Style and Normative systems
• Understand the basics of the following theories:
o Subcultures of Violence
o Anderson’s Code of the Streets
• What individual mechanisms from other etiological theories do subcultural theories draw on in explaining
social structural causes of crime (know the mechanism and the individual-level etiological theory that
primarily utilizes the mechanism)?
Strain Theories
• What causal factors do strain theories primarily focus on to explain law violating behavior?
• Understand the basics of the following theories:
o Early strain theories (Quetelet’s relative deprivation; Durkheim’s anomie)
o Merton’s Structural Strain Theory
o Agnew’s General Strain Theory
• What is anomie according to Merton’s theory?
o How does imbalance in society’s cultural structure lead to crime? What about imbalance in
society’s social structure?
 What are cultural goals and institutionalized means? How are they related and what are
their consequences in Merton’s theory?
o Understand and be able to give examples of the individual adaptations to strain (e.g. conformity,
innovation, ritualism, retreatism, rebellion).
• How is Agnew’s conceptualization of strain different than Merton’s?
o What are the general types of strain according to GST?
o What are objective vs. subjective strains?
o What is the difference between experienced, vicarious, and anticipated strains?
o What are the contingencies outlined by GST?
 What types of strains are more likely to cause crime? What types of individuals are more
likely to cope with strains through crime?

Learning Theories
• What causal factors do learning theories primarily focus on to explain law violating behavior?
o What are the tabula rasa and value conflict (or “culture conflict”) assumptions?
• Understand the basics of the following theories:
o Sutherland’s Differential Association Theory
o Aker’s Social Learning Theory
• What are the nine principles of differential association?
o What are definitions favorable or unfavorable to delinquency? Examples?
o What are the four modalities that act as weights for learned definitions?
• How does Sutherland’s Differential Social Organization theory explain variations in crime rates?
• How does Aker’s SLT modify Sutherland’s DAT?
• Operant conditioning principles (positive and negative reinforcement and punishment; extinction)
• What is differential reinforcement? Direct reinforcement? Vicarious reinforcement?

Social Control Theory

• How are control theories different from other theories discussed? What are they trying to explain?
• What are the basics of the following theories:
o Early control theories (e.g., Hobbes; Durkheim; Freud)
o Hirschi’s Social Control Theory?
• What are the different elements of the social bond (attachment, commitment, involvement, belief)? What
are the mechanisms through which each keeps people from committing crime?
o Why is attachment to parents important for effective deterrence?
o How do control theories explain the relationship between delinquent peer associations and
individual delinquency? Do delinquent peer “attachments” cause delinquency?
• How is “learning” incorporated differently in learning theories versus control theories?
• What is low self-control? What are the characteristics associated with people with low self-control?
o Where does low self-control come from? What is the role of parenting?
o What do G&H say regarding the stability of self-control?