NCJ Number
26629
Date Published
1973
Length
202 pages
Annotation
TEN MAJOR AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR ARE TESTED BY COMPARING THEIR HYPOTHESES TO THE RESULTS OF SELECTED EMPIRICAL STUDIES WHICH RESEARCHED THE SAME SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
Abstract
THE REALITY CONTENT OF THE THEORIES WAS MEASURED USING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE CRITERIA OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CONSISTENCY. THE QUALITATIVE CRITERIA WERE DERIVED FROM THE TECHNIQUE OF PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION OF BEHAVIOR. THE THEORIES TESTED WERE MERTON'S THEORY OF ANOMIE, SUTHERLAND'S THEORY OF DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION, CLOWARD AND OHLIN'S THEORY OF DIFFERENTIAL OPPORTUNITY, COHEN'S THEORY OF GROUP CULTURE, MILLER'S THEORY OF SUBCULTURES, MATZA AND SYKES' THEORY OF NEUTRALIZATION TECHNIQUES, YOBLONSKY'S THEORY OF THE 'NEAR-GROUP', BECKER'S GENERAL THEORY OF DEFINITION, AND SACK'S RADICAL THEORY OF DEFINITION. THE FIRST PART OF THE STUDY FORMULATES THE THESES OF THESE THEORIES FOR THE TESTING PROCEDURE. THE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF WEST GERMAN CRIMINOLOGISTS. --IN GERMAN