CHAPTER 9
Social Conflict Theories
Chapter 9 Multiple Choice
Choose the best answer for each of the following.
1. Which of the following is not one of the three main analytical perspectives discussed in the
text? a. Consensus
b. Radical
c. Conflict
d. Pluralist
2. Which of the following is not one of the principles characterizing the consensus perspective?
a. A belief in the existence of core values
b. A belief that law violators are representative of society as a whole
c. The idea that laws reflect the collective will of society
d. The assumption that the law serves all people equally
3. The __________ perspective holds that although different viewpoints exist, most individuals
agree on the usefulness of the law as a formal means of dispute resolution.
a. consensus
b. radical
c. conflict
d. pluralist
4. Which of the following is not one of the basic principles of the pluralistic perspective?
a. Society consists of many and diverse social groups.
b. The legal system is concerned with the best interests of society.
c. The law serves all people equally.
d. The legal system is value neutral.
5. According to Karl Marx, the __________ are the exploited working class who are without
power. a. proletariat
b. bourgeoisie
c. petit bourgeoisie
d. materialists
6. According to the conflict perspective, the fundamental nature of group conflict centers on
a. the accumulation of wealth.
b. the exercise of political power.
c. socially significant differences.
d. individual personal characteristics.
7. According to Ralf Dahrendorf, constructive change increases __________within society.
a. cohesiveness
b. tension
c. conflict
d. stasis
8. Austin Turk and many other conflict criminologists see crime as
a. a consensus of opinion.
b. an agreement among various factions within society.
c. the interests of those who hold social and economic power in society.
d. a natural consequence of intergroup struggles over control.
9. According to Chambliss and Seidman, the __________ a group’s political or economic
position, the __________ the probability that it’s views will be reflected in laws.
a. lower; greater
b. lower; less
c. higher; greater
d. higher; less
10. Richard Quinney suggests that the problem of crime will be solved only by the creation of
a. a class structure.
b. a capitalist society
c. hedonistic values.
d. a socialist society
11. Which of the following statements best describes instrumental Marxism?
a. Capitalism is a self-maintaining system
b. The legal system is a tool used by the powerful to control the poor and keep them
disenfranchised
c. The law and the criminal justice system works to perpetuate the existing system of
power relationships
d. The rich are subject to laws preventing them from behaviors that might undermine the
capitalist system
12. __________ criminology consists of a proactive call for change in the social conditions
leading to crime, whereas __________ criminology is a way of critiquing social relationships
leading to crime.
a. Critical; radical
b. Radical; critical
c. Radical; pluralistic
d. Critical; pluralistic
13. Which of the following probably would not be expected of a modern radical criminologist?
a. A call for the abolition of capital punishment
b. A demand for the elimination of gender and racial inequity in the criminal justice
system c. An emphasis on increasing funding for the construction of new prisons
d. A call for the elimination of police misconduct
14. The major goal of _________ is to achieve a just and orderly society through a practical
emphasis on social justice.
a. left realism
b. convict criminology
c. postmodernism
d. feminist criminology
15. Which of the following crime control policies probably would not be supported by a left
realist? a. Community policing
b. Neighborhood justice centers
c. Dispute resolution mechanisms
d. Mandatory minimum sentences
16. A demand for the elimination of the traditional divisions of power and labor between the
sexes would probably come from a(n) __________ feminist.
a. socialist
b. radical
c. liberal
d. Marxist
17. Which of the following statements would be an argument put forth by a socialist feminist?
a. The primary source of women’s oppression is gender role socialization
b. The cause of women’s oppression is patriarchy
c. Women’s oppression is caused by their subordinate working-class status in capitalist
societies
d. Gender oppression is a consequence of the interaction between the economic structure
of society and gender-based roles
18. Which of the following is not a major contribution made by feminist scholarship and practice
to criminological thinking?
a. A focus on gender as a central organizing principle of contemporary life
b. The recognition that social reality must be understood as a process
c. An emphasis on the application of semiotics to the concept of crime
d. A heightened sensitivity to the way social context helps shape human relationships
19. Which conflict theory is mainly deconstructionist?
a. Feminist criminology
b. Postmodern criminology
c. Left realism
d. Convict criminology
20. Stuart Henry and Dragan Milovanovic are known for their development of __________
criminology.
a. constitutive
b. anarchic
c. peacemaking
d. semiotic
21. __________ criminology suggests that social control agencies and citizens should work
together to alleviate social problems and human suffering and thus reduce crime.
a. Constitutive
b. Peacemaking
c. Semiotic
d. Anarchic
22. A peace model is based on
a. cooperation.
b. retribution.
c. just deserts.
d. All of the above
23. Dispute resolution centers are based on
a. deconstructionism.
b. just deserts.
c. semiotics.
d. participatory justice
24. Which of the following is a characteristic of restorative justice?
a. Crime is seen as an act against the state and a violation of a law
b. Crime is an individual act with individual responsibility
c. Victims are central to the process of resolving a crime
d. Offender accountability is defined as taking punishment
25. Which is not a component of the Balanced and Restorative Justice Model?
a. Community protection
b. Deconstructionism
c. Competency development
d. Accountability
26. Donald Black’s argues that conflict increases with the speed and intensity of
a. social time.
b. social interaction.
c. static conditions.
d. moral time.
27. The primary method used by convict criminologist is based in
a. social survey research.
b. ethnography.
c. archeology.
d. medical research.
28. The prototype convict criminologist is
a. John Irwin.
b. Richard Quinney.
c. John Braithwaite.
d. Harold Pepinsky.
29. In general, the main policy implication of social conflict theory is
a. Social action programs to reduce social disorganization will lead to a decline in crime
b. Programs to enhance self-control and build prosocial bonds will prevent crime
c. Bring about social change and redistribute the wealth in society, and crime rates will
fall d. Develop ways to influence personality characteristics and crime will decrease
30. __________ criminologists argue that the only effective way to reduce conflict in society is
to replace the existing capitalist system in the U.S. with a socialist economic structure.
a. Radical-Marxist
b. Peacemaking
c. Left-realist
d. Postmodern
Chapter 9 True-False
Choose whether each statement is true or false.
1. According to the pluralist perspective, law violators suffer from some lapse that makes them
unable to participate in the widespread agreement on values and behavior.
a. True
b. False
2. Karl Marx believed that the natural outcome of the struggle between the proletariat and the
bourgeoisie would be the overthrow of a communistic social order.
a. True
b. False
3. The conflict perspective sees conflict between groups as unavoidable.
a. True
b. False
4. The conflict perspective suggests that the fundamental nature of group conflict centers on the
exercise of political power.
a. True
b. False
5. According to Chambliss and Seidman, that the probability of a group having its normative
system embodied in law is distributed equally throughout society.
a. True
b. False
6. Instrumental Marxism sees the criminal law and the criminal justice system as tools used to
keep the poor disenfranchised.
a. True
b. False
7. One criticism of radical-critical criminology is its failure to recognize that there is a fair
degree of public consensus about the nature of crime.
a. True
b. False
8. Left realism sees the criminal justice system and its agents as pawns of the powerful.
a. True
b. False
9. Left realism emphasizes the development of realistic social policies out of radical ideas.
a. True
b. False
10. Radical feminists would suggest that the elimination of male domination would reduce rates
of female crime and male violence against women.
a. True
b. False
11. According to Freda Adler and Rita Simon, existing differences in crime rates between men
and women are due primarily to biology.
a. True
b. False
12. The gender gap in crime refers to the differential treatment of men and women by the
criminal justice system.
a. True
b. False
13. Postmodern criminologies challenge existing criminological perspectives to debunk them and
work towards replacing them.
a. True
b. False
14. Peacemaking criminology emphasizes reintegration into society.
a. True
b. False
15. Adversarial court proceedings are based on the principle of dispute resolution.
a. True
b. False
16. Donald Black sees the fundamental cause of conflict as the movement of social time.
a. True
b. False
17. Convict criminology tends to be very personal and issue-based
a. True
b. False
18. The primary method used by convict criminologists is ethnographic
a. True
b. False
19. Recommendations stemming from convict criminology mainly stem from traditional forms
of social scientific research.
a. True
b. False
20. Extreme radical–Marxist criminologists feel that the only effective way to reduce conflict is
to replace the existing capitalist system with a socialist economic structure.
a. True
b. False
Chapter 9 Fill in the Blank
Fill in the correct answer for each of the following.
1. According to the __________ perspective, the law serves all people equally.
2. According to Marx, the natural outcome of the struggle between the bourgeoisie and the
proletariat would be the overthrow of the __________ social order.
3. According to George Vold, laws are a(n) __________ statement
4. Contemporary radical theory attributes much of the existing propensity toward criminality to
differences in __________.
5. __________ criminology is a proactive call for change in the social conditions leading to
crime.
6. According to Elliott Currie, as countries emulate the market society culture of the United
States, crime rates throughout the world will __________.
7. _______ states that radical ideas must be translated into realistic social policies.
8. The main tenant of ________ feminism is the oppression of women caused by their
subordinate working-class status in capitalist societies.
9. Early feminist criminologists, such as Adler and Simon, explained gender differences in crime
rates as being due primarily to _____________.
10. __________ social thought rejects the enlightenment belief in scientific rationality as the
main vehicle to knowledge and progress.
11. Crime itself is a socially constructed category, so ___________, or the study of signs and
symbols, can be applied to the idea of crime.
12. Miami’s drug court is an example of a(n) __________ program.
13. The primary goal of restorative justice is ____________.
14. __________ criminology is a body of writings by convicted felons.
15. __________ criminology emphasizes practical applications of the principles of conflict
resolution.
Chapter 9 Matching
1. Match the perspective with its key principles
1. Each group within society has different
definitions of right and wrong
a. Consensus perspective
2. Law violators are a unique subgroup with
distinguishing features
b. Pluralist perspective
3. Most members of a society believe in the
existence of core values
c. Conflict perspective
4. Those in power want to maintain their
power against those who would usurp it
5. There is a generalized agreement on the
usefulness of formalized laws as a mechanism
for dispute resolution
6. The law serves everyone equally
7. Society is made up of diverse social groups
8. The legal system is value neutral
1. c
2. Match the theorist with the relevant theory
1. Dragan Milovanovic
a. Moral time
2. Karl Marx
b. Peacemaking criminology
3. Donald Black
c. Feminist criminology
4. Jock Young
d. Postmodernism
5. Hal Pepinsky
e. Convict criminology
6. John Hagan
f. Radical criminology
7. John Irwin
g. Left realism
3. Match the strand of feminist thought to its definition
1. Postmodern feminism
a. Gender oppression is a consequence of the
interaction between the economic structure of
society and gender-based roles
2. Socialist feminism
b. Patriarchy is the cause of women’s
oppression
3. Marxist feminism
c. Gender role socialization is the primary
source of women’s oppression
4. Radical feminism
d. The oppression of women is caused by
their subordinate working-class status in
capitalist societies
5. Liberal feminism
e. Questions the existence of any one truth,
including women’s oppression
1. e
Chapter 9 Essay
Answer the following questions.
1. Explain the basic perspective Chambliss and Seidman presented in their 1971 book, Law,
Order, and Power. List and explain their four main propositions.
2. Discuss the major criticisms of radical-critical criminology.
3. What are the five strands of feminist thought that inform feminist criminology today? Outline
the main ideas of each of these perspectives.
Chapter 9 Critical Thinking
Answer the following questions.
1. Explain how radical and critical criminology differ and how they are similar.
2. Explain the differences between retributive and restorative justice. Identify some problems
that may arise as the result of a shift to a restorative justice model.
3. What are the main policy implications of the various types of conflict theories discussed in
this chapter? For each theory, identify at least one possible solution to the problem of crime that
would be advocated by supporters of that theory.
