Social disorganization refers to the inability of a particular community to solve a common problem or achieve certain values. Various factors like people’s economic status or social and cultural background contribute greatly to this problem. Clifford R. Shaw drew a great relationship between juvenile delinquency and social disorganization and how the former contributed significantly to the latter’s increase in major parts of Chicago. Shaw believed that delinquents are an integral part of society and offered a reflection of the ills each community underwent. Social disorganization significantly contributes to crime and delinquency among members of society.
Factors Contributing to Social Disorganization
Ethnic Diversity
Many urban centers in the United States have different ethnic compositions which could dictate how the people interacted with each other. Shaw observed that a society with higher ethnic diversity was likely to experience social disorganization as compared to the one with few cultural groups. As different cultures dictate varying norms to their people, each individual will have specific values and beliefs which may prevent people from formulating common goals. Ethnic diversity will also affect communication among adults as people may have different languages or lack common experiences. This situation will lead to many individuals having mistrust or fear among themselves and thus leading to social disorganization.
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Economic Status
The economic status of any region plays a significant role in shaping the behavior and interaction of its people. Shaw found that low-income areas recorded a high rate of delinquency among their youth. The economic status of any region has a significant influence on various factors that contribute to social disorganization. For instance, many people will move to the urban centers looking for opportunities and thus end up straining the available housing facilities. This situation will lead to the settlement in areas around the urban center. Those areas become available to people of different ethnicities and the poor who might engage in crime as a means of survival.
Physical Status
The physical status includes infrastructures found within a given location. Some of those infrastructures may include buildings, water, and power supply, learning institutions, and the number of industries in a particular region. For instance, the development of factories in a given area attracts people of different ethnicities and backgrounds looking for employment (Piscitelli and Doherty, 2018) . Some of those immigrants may fail to secure employment and thus engage in criminal activities as a means of survival. Many low-income earners may also inhabit regions with an inadequate water supply and few institutions due to their affordability and thus high delinquency in those areas.
Personal Experience on Social Disorganization
I have noted various factors in my neighborhood that contribute to social disorganization and delinquency. First, children experiencing family disruptions were likely to engage in delinquency as parents may not supervise them properly. Family breakdown may also bring mental instability to different members and thus engaging in crime. Secondly, residential instability significantly contributes to social disorganization as the ethnic composition keeps on changing. This phenomenon prevents people from forming strong ties with each other leading to high delinquency.
Conclusion
Social disorganization significantly contributes to crime and delinquency among members of society. Those phenomena occur due to the disintegration of values and networks that bind a community together. Shaw identified various factors as leading to social disorganization in a region. They include ethnic diversity, the physical condition of the region, and the economic status of people living in an area. Family disruptions and residential instability can also prevent society from forming common values leading to disorganization. Therefore, various stakeholders need to analyze cultural and structural factors in dealing with social disorganization.
Reference
Piscitelli, A. and Doherty, S., 2018. Connecting social disorganization to broken windows and routine activities. The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien , 62(4), pp.589-596.
