The realm of Sociology and a drift from Structural Theories of Crime to Process Theories of Crime.

by | Oct 20, 2024 | sociology

 

 

1) we move into the realm of Sociology and a drift from Structural Theories of Crime to Process Theories of Crime. Historically, what prompted Criminology to make this shift or perhaps addition to the paradigm?
In the early 1920s and through into the 1960s sociological theorists grabbed hold of the stage from early positivists, namely scholars, and practitioners that looked at the impact of biological and psychological factors on human behavior. Then in the late 1950s and early 1960s Social Process Theories made their way to the front of the stage. Dr. Cullen and Akers discuss this critical shift. Again, we must be attentive to the “social context” of the times that established the stage for the entrance of sociological process constructs (Lilly, Cullen, and Ball, 2018). Why did structural theories of crime in the Criminological Realm take a backseat to social process theories?

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Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

The shift from structural theories of crime to social process theories in criminology was influenced by several factors:

  • Changing Social Context: The mid-20th century was a period of significant social and economic change, with urbanization, industrialization, and increased social mobility. These changes challenged the traditional focus on structural factors like poverty and inequality as the primary causes of crime.
  • Limitations of Structural Theories: While structural theories provided valuable insights into the relationship between social structures and crime, they were criticized for overemphasizing the role of external factors and neglecting individual agency.

The shift from structural theories of crime to social process theories in criminology was influenced by several factors:

  • Changing Social Context: The mid-20th century was a period of significant social and economic change, with urbanization, industrialization, and increased social mobility. These changes challenged the traditional focus on structural factors like poverty and inequality as the primary causes of crime.
  • Limitations of Structural Theories: While structural theories provided valuable insights into the relationship between social structures and crime, they were criticized for overemphasizing the role of external factors and neglecting individual agency.
  • Emergence of New Data: Advances in research methods and the availability of new data allowed sociologists to explore the individual-level factors that contribute to criminal behavior. This led to a renewed interest in social process theories, which focus on how individuals learn criminal behavior through their interactions with others.
  • Shift in Theoretical Perspective: The growing influence of symbolic interactionism and other sociological perspectives highlighted the importance of social processes and interactions in shaping human behavior, including criminal behavior.

The transition from structural to social process theories reflects a broader shift in criminology towards a more nuanced understanding of the causes of crime. While structural factors undoubtedly play a role, social process theories emphasize the importance of individual agency and the social context in which crime occurs

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