Question

How do Positivist’s and their perspective with anomie strain theory explain and analyze crime (specifically THEFT)

Answer questions with positivist view on theft

1 Attempt to explain the occurrence, enactment, and/or distribution of deviant or criminal behavior.(specifically theft)

2 An explanation for why deviant behavior is enacted (Why do they steal?).

3 Deviance is a type of action that needs to be explained.

4 Concerned with the factors that lead certain people to violate the rules or those that produce higher rates of deviance in some societies or areas then others.

5 Concerned with how and why certain circumstances encourage deviant behavior.

Answer 1

The positivist perspective of criminal behavior explains the reason behind the crime commited by people,Why people commit crime at different stages of life and why some people continue committing crime at his whole life. The sources such as parents , siblings, teachers ,community, peers and media have great role in deciding the criminal act and also child develops moral code by taking moral lessons from parents peers and teachers. Development of morality and moral behaviour depends on the intensity , frequency and consistency of moral messages a person receives from the above sources. A person is more likely to engage in criminal acts if he receives more positive messages from outside sources like wise he is less likely to engage in criminal behaviour if he receives more negative messages .a person remains to continue a theft or crime till he gets punishment for it.

Strain theory states that all people are good; but that they are compelled to achieve certain societal standards and inorder to achieve these standards and to get the results , they will commit crime. Restricted access to opprtunities to meet societal standards is the main cause of theft and related crimes. Merton in his strain theory explains about the different styles that people uses to deal with strain.They are conformity, innovation, rebellion, retreatism, and ritualism. Conformity is the conventional methods that people uses to achieve success. Innovation it the other possible ways that people adopt to achieve success. Rebellion is the style people use when they reject the societal means of achieving goals and look for ways such as overthrowing conventional methods of society. Retreatism is the style used by most drug addicts and alcoholics . Ritualism is when people accepts that their goals cannot be met. This is the way in which most crimes are commited.

Any behaviour that violates societal norms and standards and which lead to societal disapproval is called a deviant behaviour . The term deviance is very much complex as the rules and norms are different in different in different groups that is a behaviour which is acceptable in one group may be considered deviant in other groups. Differential association theory explains that environment plays important role in deciding which norms are to be violated and people learn crime by the interaction with intimate groups. this theory focuses on developmental nature of criminality as it explains that people learn deviance from people with whome they relate.