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Chicago Theorists on Deviance & Crime

The Chicago school and functionalism are two approaches to the understanding of deviance and crime. Both schools of thought use metaphors from disciplines other than sociology to help explain how society operates. Chicago sociologists employed ecological theory, borrowed from the biological sciences, to explain the urban "ecosystem." Chicago school adherents used the concept of differential association to explain how individuals are socialized to deviant behaviour by their reference groups, thus challenging the conception of deviance as a product of personality deficiencies.

Functionalists used the ecological branch of the Chicago school to advance the idea that social structure profoundly affects the distribution of deviance and crime in society. Both perspectives on deviance and crime are more alike than different, sharing as they do a common metaphor in the biological sciences. Commonalities and differences of each perspective will be examined; in addition, criminal justice examples will clarify the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.

The Chicago school is predicated on the concept that the complex human "ecosystem" tends toward a state of equilibrium. A change in one part of the system will invariably affect a change in another part of the system. Ian Gomme (1993) illustrates the above principle by observing that "The elimination of housing affordable to disadvantaged class and ethnic groups requires both their adaption and relocation" (p. 50). The social disorganization (displacement of the poor) brought about by changes in equilibrium (gentrification of formerly run-down areas) will lead to breakdowns in social control (increase in crime).

The Chicago school uses the principle of differential association "to explain how individuals are socialized to deviant behaviour by their reference groups" (Gomme, 1993, p. 61), however, such behaviour may just as well be explained by the fact that "deviants may seek ou...

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Chicago Theorists on Deviance & Crime. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 08:33, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1691016.html