Social disorganization theory is one of the most enduring place-based theories of crime. Developed by
Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay
, this theory shifted criminological scholarship from a focus on the pathology of people to the pathology of places.
In
the 1942
, two criminology researchers from the “Chicago School” of criminology, Clifford Shaw and Henry D. McKay developed social disorganization theory through their research.
Who were Shaw and McKay?
Often considered the original architects of social disorganization theory, Shaw and McKay were
among the first in the United States to investigate the spatial distribution of crime and delinquency across urban areas
. Their research built on work done by other Chicago School researchers, in particular Robert E.
Edwin Sutherland
adopted the concept of social disorganization to explain the increases in crime that accompanied the transformation of preliterate and peasant societies—in which “influences surrounding a person were steady, uniform, harmonious and consistent”—to modern Western civilization, which he believed was …
Shaw and McKay traced social disorganization
to conditions endemic to the urban areas that were the only places the newly arriving poor could afford to live
, in particular, a high rate of turnover in the population (residential instability) and mixes of people from different cultural backgrounds (ethnic diversity).
Social problems leading to social disorganization-Social problems and forces such as
a revolution, social upheaval, a class struggle, a financial or economic crisis
, a war between nations, mental illness, and political corruption threaten the welfare of the society.
For example,
a tenant in a public housing unit may live there for years and never form a relationship with his or her neighbors
. Residents who do not know the children of the area were less likely to intervene when the children displayed unacceptable behavior.
:
a state of society characterized by the breakdown of effective social control resulting in a lack of functional integration between
groups, conflicting social attitudes, and personal maladjustment.
Social Disorganization Theory.
Explains the relationship between social disorder and deviance
. This is a macro-level theory that tries to explain why certain neighborhoods control deviance and why others are unable to minimize or eliminate it .
What is Merton’s theory?
Merton’s anomie theory is
that most people strive to achieve culturally recognized goals
. A state of anomie develops when access to these goals is blocked to entire groups of people or individuals. The result is a deviant behaviour characterized by rebellion, retreat, ritualism, innovation, and/or conformity.
Social control is achieved through social, economic, and institutional structures. Common examples of informal social control methods include
criticism, disapproval, ridicule, sarcasm and shame
.
Answered one of the main criticisms of Social Disorganization theory concerning structural factors impact on social control within a neighborhood. Biggest contribution was
in reformulating social control aspect of neighborhoods into three different types of social control that are affected by structural factors
.
A social issue is
a problem that affects many people within a society
. It is a group of common problems in present-day society and ones that many people strive to solve. … Social issues are distinguished from economic issues; however, some issues (such as immigration) have both social and economic aspects.
Measures of three central theoretical elements in Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization perspective (
poverty, residential mobility, and racial heterogeneity
) and variables from the subculture of violence, social control, and opportunity perspectives are included in this research.
Structural disadvantages such as
population heterogeneity, residential instability, and poor economic conditions hinder the formation of community cohesion by limiting informal social networks
and weakening a community’s ability to exercise effective informal social control over the activities that occur within its …
Social disorganization theory has played a
central role in illuminating the neighborhood structures and processes that influence crime and disorder
. It has also informed community crime prevention programs and initiatives concerned with the social organization of urban neighborhoods.
