What is the socialization function?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The socialization function is helpful in explaining why organized crime is not regarded as an inherent evil in all communities. Many years ago, Bell (1953) proposed that crime was an American way of life. He argued that the pioneers of American capitalism were not graduates of the Harvard Business School, but amassed fortunes by "shady speculations and considerable
amounts of violence." Bell (1953) and Ianni (1974), among others, have argued that crime, particularly organized crime, offers avenues for social mobility, especially in communities where
legitimate paths are either blocked or difficult to achieve.

In addition to the dearth of legitimate success routes, some communities have specific conditions that make innovation more likely to result in criminal outcomes. Cohen (1965) argues that community reference groups shape modes of adaptation to social conditions. He suggests that in observing other people who have attained success by innovating, a sense of strain that helps shape future conformity develops. Other community members are influenced by reference groups' actions and means of success attainment (Cohen 1965). Patterns of criminal socialization probably have their origins in socioeconomic stratification that relegates some people to environments in which a sense of strain is experienced (Abadinsky, 1981). Subsequent development patterns include identification and association with reference groups that innovated through criminal behavior.