The establishment of the Chicago School changed criminological and sociological thinking and theories. Prior to the establishment of the Chicago School of criminology, criminal behavior was thought to be inherited genetically (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, p. 97). The work of Cesare Lombroso and his studies linking biology and criminality were extremely popular and widely accepted. However, proponents of the Chicago School saw crime as the product of a society that lacked organization and social institutions (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, p. 97). Ultimately, this school of thought set the basis for which theorists would add onto.
Robert K. Merton developed one of the earliest theories that attempted to explain social deviance. His article …show more content…
McKay in their study of delinquency from environmental pressures in Chicago, Illinois (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, p. 98). Burgess’ model explained the distribution of different social groups within urban areas. There are five rings, or social groups, in Burgess’ model. These include: central business district, zone of transition, zone of working class, zone of better residence, and a commuter’s zone (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, p. 98). The idea behind the model is that those living in “zone two” are burdened with economic factors such as low income. Additionally, most people in this zone live in poor areas and rent their homes. The farther you move from the center of “zone two” and transition in “zone three”, the wealthier the inhabitants of these areas become (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, 98). This model also makes the assumption that the more mobile people are in an area, the more crime it will …show more content…
Although both of these theories pose that fact that the structure of society is to blame for crime, one of the biggest differences between these two theories is the fact that they disagree on which aspect of society is to blame. The Anomie theory asserts that delinquency is the by-product of the conceptualized idea of success and the “American Dream” in society. On the other-hand, Social Disorganization accuses urban ecology, lack of racial heterogeneity, and population growth as the source of criminal behaviors and turmoil within a community (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, p.
Robert K. Merton developed one of the earliest theories that attempted to explain social deviance. His article …show more content…
McKay in their study of delinquency from environmental pressures in Chicago, Illinois (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, p. 98). Burgess’ model explained the distribution of different social groups within urban areas. There are five rings, or social groups, in Burgess’ model. These include: central business district, zone of transition, zone of working class, zone of better residence, and a commuter’s zone (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, p. 98). The idea behind the model is that those living in “zone two” are burdened with economic factors such as low income. Additionally, most people in this zone live in poor areas and rent their homes. The farther you move from the center of “zone two” and transition in “zone three”, the wealthier the inhabitants of these areas become (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, 98). This model also makes the assumption that the more mobile people are in an area, the more crime it will …show more content…
Although both of these theories pose that fact that the structure of society is to blame for crime, one of the biggest differences between these two theories is the fact that they disagree on which aspect of society is to blame. The Anomie theory asserts that delinquency is the by-product of the conceptualized idea of success and the “American Dream” in society. On the other-hand, Social Disorganization accuses urban ecology, lack of racial heterogeneity, and population growth as the source of criminal behaviors and turmoil within a community (Cullen, Agnew, & Wilcox, 2014, p.