ABSTRACT
Adopting a similar macro level focus to deviance as anomie and strain theories, Social Disorganization theorists are focused on the structure of society to help explain crime and deviant behavior. Also called structural theories, these theories focus on the structural characteristics of different communities. Most of these theories were developed out of the University of Chicago and used the city of Chicago as their research focal point. Because of this, these theories are usually called “The Chicago School”. All of these theories focus on ideas of urban ecology whereby individuals in an urban environment are no different than an animal struggling to survive in nature. The survival of the fittest ideas of Darwin are no different to city dwellers than they are to animals in the jungle. These theorists focus on breaking the city down into concentric zones (Parks and Burgess), focusing on gangs living in a complex urban social environment (Thrasher), and crime mapping to predict socially disorganized neighborhoods (Shaw and McKay).
